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i LIBRAllT OF CONGRESS. 

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| UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, t 

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Jk. REPLY 



TO 



WILLIAM T. D WIGHT, D. D. 



ow 



SPIRITUALISM 



BY 



JABEZ C. WOODMAN, ESQ. 



,-x^-^-^.~-. -^ 



A. REPLY 



TO 



WILLIAM T. DWIGHT, D. D., 



ON 



SPIRITUALISM. 



THREE LECTURES 



BY JABEZ C.'WOODMAN, 

COUNSELLOR AT LAW. 




P O RTL AND : 

PUBLISHED BY GEORGE R. DAVIS & BROTHER. 

NEW-YORK : CHARLES PARTRIDGE. 

BOSTON: BELA MARSH. 

1857. 






<^y 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1857, 

ByJABEZ C. WOODMAN; 

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of Maine. 



B. THURSTON, PRINTER, PORTLAND, MAINE. 



Portland, July, 1857. 
To Jabez C. Woodman, Esq., Counsellor at Law : 

Dear Sir: — We, the undersigned, members of the Government of the 
Portland Association of Spiritualists, respectfully request you to furnish for 
the press a copy of your reply to Rev. Dr. Dwight's sermon against Spirit- 
ualism. Your argument, substantially based on the Bible, — which is the 
oldest record of spiritual manifestations, and which modern spiritualists 
accept as actual occurrences, because they have witnessed the same in kind, — 
has seemed to us, as also to the most of your audience, so conclusive and 
irrefutable, that they deem it their duty to ask of you this favor, and yours 
to grant it ; in order that the public may see that modern spiritualism is 
Bible spiritualism revived, and not the Bible rejected — and that the Bible, 
in all its essential parts, stands more in need of spiritualism in this skeptical 
and materialistic age, than spiritualism does of the Bible. 

Many good men, and some even of the clergy and the church, are of 
opinion that, should the old church and other opponents succeed in crushing 
out modern spiritualism by branding it as a tremendous delusion, the Bible, 
which is full of spiritual phenomena, as exhibited at the present time, would 
at no distant period, be itself denounced as a delusion ; for men would say : 
"If we cannot believe in the phenomena, or the so-called spiritual manifesta- 
tions, which millions of us have seen and are still witnessing, how can we 
believe the precisely similar ones recorded in the Bible, but which we have 

not seen ? " 

JAMES FURBISH, G. A. THOMAS, 

M. F. WHITTIER, N. A. FOSTER, 

VICTOR M. RICHARDSON, J. R. KING, 

S. B. BECKETT, R. I. ROBISON. 



LECTURE I 



Deuteronomy xxix. 29 — "The secret things belong unto the Lord 
our God ; but those which are revealed belong unto us, and to our 
children forever, that we may do all the words of this law." 

This discourse is intended as a reply to the sermon delivered 
by Dr. D wight on the twenty-sixth of April past, on the subject 
of Spiritualism ; and the text is selected as a motto, not because 
the whole discourse will be pertinent to it : but because the first 
clause of it was selected by him on that occasion. In the ser- 
mon, he took pains to inform us, that " he was addressing himself 
to those who receive the Bible as God's Word. 7 ' In our reply, 
we intend to hold him to the standard of the Gospel. 

The first idea, presented in the sermon, is the fact, that "there 
are secret tilings belonging solely to God." On this point, there is 
no controversy. Before creation's dawn, God existed absolute 
and aloDe. Then, all things were secret, and all things belonged 
solely to God. Even then, there were, in the Divine mind, ideas 
or archetypes of all the men and things and images, that have 
existed ; of all that now exist ; and of all that shall ever exist 
hereafter. So much is implied in the omniscience of God. 

The great point of difference between the author of this sermon 
and the Spiritualists, is, that the former believes the Book of .Rev- 
elation to be closed, while the latter hold, that God is ever willing 
to reveal himself, and from time to time continues to do so, by his 
angels as the ministers of his will. The chapter from which the 
text is taken, furnishes a notable instance of the progressive nature 
of revelation. Moses, having given to the Israelites a system of 
laws by one revelation in Horeb, proceeded, when they came into 
the land of Moab, to recapitulate the statutes previously given, 



and added many more thereto, as recorded in the Book of Deu- 
teronomy. Reference is made to these additional laws, in the first 
verse of this twenty-ninth chapter, as follows : 

" These are the words of the covenant which the Lord com- 
manded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of 
Moab, besides the covenant, which he made with them in Horeb." 
Hence the name Detjteroxomy, which is derived from two Greek 
words, and signifies the second law. 

The following declarations are made in the sermon : 

" God has purposely confined the knowledge of these things to Himself. 
This is the reason why they are secret, or why they have not been revealed : 
' they belong to him,' and not to men, not to creatures. * * * It is 
alike irreligious and fruitless on our part to seek to know them ; " " He keeps 
us in ignorance ; He keeps absolutely secret with Himself what He intends 
to do, and most of what He is constantly doing.'' 

On these points we take issue. If it had been the desire of 
God to keep all his secret things to Himself, He woufd never have 
made any revelation at all. But He was desirous of revealing 
Himself, and consequently of offspring, to whom He might be 
revealed. Accordingly a universe is produced ; and the earth as 
a part of that universe ; and man as a Divine offspring, who is 
capable of receiving revelations from his Heavenly Father. That 
God was desirous of revealing Himself and of offspring for that 
purpose, is not more evident from the Book of Nature, than it is 
from the Sacred Scriptures. In the eighth chapter of Proverbs, 
(30 and 31,) the Logos of God, or the Divine Wisdom is, by a 
strong figure of speech, represented as making the following 
declarations by way of anticipation, prior to the creation of man : 
" I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him ; rejoicing 
in the habitable part of His earth ; and my delights were with the 
sons of men.'" God, having, in advance, this delight in offspring, 
to whom He might be revealed, brought man into being, not to 
keep him in ignorance, but that he might be instructed in knowl- 
edge and wisdom by revelations from on high, as fast as his con- 
stitution and capacity would admit. 

Hence the numerous passages of Scripture, wherein man is 
urged to get wisdom and knowledge ; and wherein their supreme 
excellence is set forth. These are so numerous, that they cannot 
now be cited. Only one, from the instructions of Christ, can now 
be mentioned, for want of time : " Be ye, therefore, perfect, even 
as your Father, who is in heaven, is perfect." (Matt. v. 48.) If 
" God keeps us in ignorance ; " if " He has purposely confined 



the knowledge of these [secret] things to Himself;" if "it is 
alike irreligious and fruitless on our part to seek to know them ; " 
if " it has been God's intention to keep ourselves and our whole 
race in this very state of ignorance," as Dr. Dwight asserts ; then 
God, speaking by Christ, never could have urged us to be perfect, 
as our Father in heaven is perfect. 

To show that God intentionally keeps us in ignorance, several 
passages of Scripture are cited by Dr. Dwight — none of which 
are available for that purpose. One citation is part of a verse 
from Prov. xxv. 2. The whole passage is as follows: " It is the 
glory of the Lord to conceal a thing ; but the honor of kings is 
to search out a matter. The heaven for height, and the earth for 
depth, and the heart of kings is unsearchable." Another citation 
is from Psalm cxlv. 3. The whole passage is as follow : " Great 
is the Lord, and greatly to be praised ; and His greatness is un- 
searchable." Another citation is part of two verses from Romans 
xi. 33 and 34. The whole passage is as follows : " Oh, the depth 
of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God ! How 
unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out ! 
For who hath known the mind of the Lord ? or who hath been 
His counsellor ? " If it is declared in these Scriptures, that the 
"judgments" of the Lord ; the " ways of the Lord ; " the " great- 
ness" of the Lord; the " wisdom" of the Lord ; and the " knowl- 
edge" of the Lord, are unsearchable ; the same is asserted of " the 
heart of kings." 

The passages do not mean, that we are altogether precluded from 
exploring the character of God, by His Divine purpose or by any 
inevitable necessity. The language simply means, that it is not 
possible for us so critically to explore the Divine Creator and his 
attributes, as to find him out fully ; not because it is a part of the 
Divine purpose to keep us in ignorance ; but because our limited 
capacities are not competent for any such critical examination. 
Such is the signification of the Greek word av^epevvqra, trans- 
lated "unsearchable," in Rom. xi. 33. The same is expressed 
in a better form by Zophar in the Book of Job xi. 7 : " Canst 
thou by searching find out God ? Canst thou find out the Al- 
mighty unto perfection ? " The language implies that, though we 
may continually explore God and his attributes, and by so doing, 
greatly increase our wisdom and knowledge, yet there will always 
remain an infinity of room for farther exploration, which can never 
be fully compassed, fathomed or exhausted by the finite mind. 
The passages of Scripture, declaring, that God desires us to 



8 

search into and explore his being and attributes, are numerous. 
We have time to name only the following : " I desired mercy and 
not sacrifice ; and the knowledge of God, more than burnt offer- 
ings." (Hosea vi. 6.) " If thou criest after knowledge; and 
liftest up thy voice for understanding ; if thou seekest her as sil- 
ver, and searchest for her as for hid treasure ; then shalt thou un- 
derstand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God." 
(Prov. ii. 3, 6.) In writing to his Colossian brethren, Paul in- 
formed them, that he did not cease to pray for them; " that they 
might walk worthy of the Lord, unto all pleasing, being fruitful 
in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of the Lord" 
(Col. i. 9, 10.) 

In the first of the passages cited in the sermon to prove, that 
God purposely keeps us in ignorance, it is asserted, that, " It is 
the glory of God to conceal a matter." No doubt, the Divine 
character is glorious in every aspect of it. In this sense, God was 
always all-glorious, and is still supremely glorious in relation to 
matters that are concealed. But this glory does not arise from 
the concealment ; it is innate or parcel of His nature. God was 
aware that a still higher glory of His character would result from 
manifestation. So He determined upon creation. And so much 
grander is the glory arising from the manifestation of God, than 
the glory of His concealment, that the Psalmist in the nineteenth 
Psalm, speaks of it as embodying the whole of the Divine glory : 
" The heavens declare the glory of God ; and the firmament show- 
eth his handy- work," &c. 

The remaining text cited in the sermon, to show, that God in- 
tentionally and purposely keeps us in ignorance, is found in Isaiah 
xlv. 15: "Verily, thou art a God that hidest thyself." Upon 
this, the Doctor remarks : — 

*' It is not only the prerogative, but the choice of God, to hide Himself, or 
to withhold from His creatures, in many respects, the knowledge of His 
nature and His operations." 

The text is one of great sublimity. God hides Himself behind 
His works ; or, more accurately speaking, He can be found only 
in His works. It appears to be neither a matter of prerogative 
nor of choice on the part of God, but a matter of necessity, that 
He should be hid behind His works, and only seen through them. 
He fills immensity. Such being the fact, no other being can 
obtain a standing point outside, on which to rest his foot and look 
back upon God, even if he had an internal vision opened, suffi- 
ciently clear to see His pure spirit. 



9 

It is next asserted by Dr. D wight, that — 

" We are in utter ignorance of futurity, and of what is now taking place 
in any other quarter of the universe, or in any other world." 

Where is the proof of it ? It is a mere dogmatical assertion. 
There is no evidence to support it, in the Scriptures nor in nature. 
Emanuel Swedenborg stood at the head of the scientific men of 
the world in his age. He was the most learned man of his gen- 
eration. The mass or volume of his published works is greater 
than that of any other writer, who has lived within the range of 
authentic history, with possibly one or two exceptions. He was 
one of the purest and best men that ever lived. There is no more 
difficulty in supposing, that he, in spiritual vision, might be per- 
mitted to visit other planetary worlds in the solar system, than 
there is in supposing, that the apostle John, in the spirit, had pre- 
sented to him and saw the visions, which he has recorded in the 
Book of Revelation. It is a rule of evidence, that the testimony 
of one fair witness, speaking positively to facts, which he has seen 
and known, will outweigh the testimony of any number of wit- 
nesses, who negatively testify, that they did not see the same facts. 

Swedenborg, who, in various instances, had been proved to be 
a true seer in relation to matters upon the earth, testifies, that, in 
spirit, he was permitted to visit several of the planets of our sys- 
tem ; and he gives us a description of their inhabitants and scenery. 
On the other hand, Dr. Dwight testifies negatively, as follows : — 

" We are in utter ignorance of what is now taking place in any other 
quarter of the universe, or in any other world. It has been also, as we see 
with perfect certainty, God's intention to keep ourselves and our whole race 
[including, of course, Swedenborg] in this very state of ignorance— an igno- 
rance inevitable and absolute, so long as we live on the earth." 

Which will you receive ? The clear, unequivocal, and positive 
testimony of the learned, scientific, and pure minded seer, Swe- 
denborg ? or the negative guess of the assuming, dogmatical, and 
unsupported writer of this sermon ? 

When Dr. Dwight comes to specify some of the things which 
are secret with God, he asserts, in the first place, that — 

" Everything directly connected with the nature of God Himself, and with 
his immediate agency, is thus secret exclusively with Him." 

He asserts that — 

" s God's spiritual essence, His se'f-existence, His eternity, His omnipotence 
and omniscience, and His infinite moral perfections; — these are not only 
subjects, but they involve facts and realities, directly concerning Himself, 



10 

which we are as incapable of knowing as the insect; the archangel can as 
little comprehend them; they are all secret things of God" 

Contrary to these assertions of Dr. D wight, we have the decla- 
ration of Paul concerning God, that "the invisible things of Him 
from the creation of the world, are clearly seen, being understood 
by the things that are made, even his eternal power and God- 
head." (Rom. i. 20.) 

All these matters were originally secret with God. But we 
think Paul had the right of it, that the eternal existence, unity 
and power of God are clearly discoverable from His works. We 
go farther and maintain, that the unchangeableness of God, His 
spiritual existence and omnipresence, the infinity of His knowl- 
edge, wisdom, justice, goodness and truth, are all discoverable in 
the same manner. 

First, as to His existence and eternity, the argument runs thus : 
"Every house is builded by some man; but He, that built all 
things, is God." (Heb. iii. 4.) Everything, that is made, must 
have a maker. This is a principle in philosophy. 

"If nought e'er had been, nought still had been." 
The things that are made, teach us that there must have been 
something original, that was not made, That was God. Thus 
do we obtain our ideas of God and His underived and eternal 
existence. 

In like manner the power of God is found in his works. There 
must have been sufficient power to accomplish the object — to con- 
struct the universe — all the suns of the universe, with all the 
planets, moons and comets that move around those several suns, 
with all the varied forms of being that dwell thereon. Imagina- 
tion shrinks back and hesitates to grapple with this power. We 
cannot realize that by any multiplication of the powers we possess, 
we could obtain sufficient force to create the universe. So we call 
the power infinite. 

The unity of God is seen in the unity of the plan, upon which 
the universe is constructed. His wisdom is seen in the wonderful 
skill, by which means are so adapted to ends, that the grand mech- 
anism of the universe is kept constantly in uniform motion, with- 
out ever varying the millionth part of a hair. This wisdom of 
God presupposes a measure of knowledge correspondent thereto. 
We cannot realize, that by any multiplication of the wisdom and 
knowledge, with which we are endowed, we could have been made 
competent to plan the universe. So we affirm that the wisdom 
and the knowledge of God are infinite. 



11 

The universe is so constructed, that the same causes always pro- 
duce the same effects. Hereby we discover the unchangeableness 
of God and the infinity of His truth. 

The unchangeable laws of God are so contrived, that when we 
obey them, we are gratified with enjoyment, and filled with pleas- 
urable emotions. We cannot stop to particularize. But it is so, 
in the exercise of all our senses, our appetites and passions, and 
also in the exercise of our consciences. In this way we discover 
the infinite goodness of God. 

"Whenever we violate any of the Divine laws, we cannot do it 
with impunity. Every transgression is followed by an appropriate 
and suitable punishment or reward. We cannot stop to enter into 
details. It is equally true, however, with regard to our material 
nature, our spiritual nature, our intellectual nature, and our moral 
nature. " Every transgression and disobedience receives a just 
recompense of reward." (Heb. ii. 2.) In this way we discover 
the infinite justice of God. 

As the works of God are every where, and all are under His gov- 
ernment and laws, we infer, that He must be omnipresent, in order 
to maintain His government and enforce His laws. 

As we find, that man has a principle of life or spirit, diffused 
through his whole body, and consequently in the form of his body ; 
and that he cannot in his body, without that life or spirit, exer- 
cise any of his ordinary powers, we infer, that much less could God 
exercise the infinite powers He does, without the organism of an 
infinite spirit, through which He may work. So we suppose, that 
the body of God is an infinite Spirit. So true is it, that " the in- 
visible things of God from the creation of the world are clearly 
seen." They were not all seen ac once, nor all by any one man. 
But they have been gradually discovered and seen in the works of 
God, by many seers, through many ages. Much more is now known 
of these invisible things of God, than was known of them in the 
past. Nor is there any reason to doubt, that much more of them 
will be discovered in the future. Nor have we any reason 
to expect, that all of these invisible things of the Deity, will ever 
be discovered by man. Man may search and explore forever, in 
the infinite ocean of the Spirit of God, and bring to light many 
new truths, yet never exhaust the subject. " Oh the depth of the 
riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God ! " 

All, that man knows of God, was first seen in his works. Noth- 
ing of the Divine Being or his attributes, came to man originally 
by the Jewish Scriptures, the Christian Scriptures, or any other 



12 



Scriptures. Bat sages and seers of ancient days, diligently ex- 
plored the works of creation, and in them clearly saw the exist- 
ence of God and many of the things, that belong to His nature. 
What they saw, they penned down and embodied in those Scrip- 
tures ; and the same privilege remains to us. "Ye have neither 
heard His voice at any time, nor seen his shape." (John v. 
37.) Neither did the prophets and seers of ancient days. For 
God is now invisible ; He has always been invisible ; and invisi- 
ble He must always remain. 

Dr. Dwight next asserts in his sermon, that 
" Among these secret things, are to be included the purposes of God. 

It is not supposed by us, that we shall ever be able to discover 
all of the purposes of Deity. But it is our duty to discover all 
of His will and purposes that we can, and to conform our conduct 
to His laws, and to that end to study Him diligently in His 
works. 

By a careful study of the works of God in creation and provi- 
dence, we may often discover a part, at least, of his purposes. 

Again, speaking of " the greatest sage now living," Dr. Dwight 
asserts, that 

" Aside from the word of God, he knows not that the internal fires, which 
have been ever raging within the earth, may not burst forth ere to-morrow's 
sun, and consume our race and all the vestiges of humanity." 

But this is contrary to the principles of sound philosophy. We 
have a sure guaranty, in the many millions of millions of tons of 
coal and iron, that God stored up in the bowels of the earth for the 
use of man, millions of years before he was brought into being, that 
this earth will continue to be his abode for myriads of years in 
the future. If it is not to be so, God has wrought in vain. 

God has created the earth as one of the Heavenly bodies to de- 
clare His glory and to show it forth forever. He will never de- 
stroy any of the worlds which he has made. That " the earth 
abideth forever," is as much a declaration of science as of Scrip- 
ture. (Eccl. i. 4.) We find the following in Isaiah : " For thus saith 
the Lord that created the Heavens; God Himself, that formed 
the earth and made it ; He established it ; He created it not 
in vain ; He formed it to he inhabited" (Isa. xlv. 18.) We may 
safely conclude, that the earth will continue to be the abode of 
man, so long as children of the two sexes continue to be born in 
numbers nearly equal ; and so long as the coal and the iron con- 
tinue to be abundant. 



13 

The next proposition laid down in the sermon is as follows : 

"The future, and by this term is included the persons and the events be- 
longing to all coming time, is also secret with God." 

Where is the proof? This also is a mere dogmatical assertion. 
There is no more difficulty in supposing, that God has created be- 
ings, who can look downward into time ; or that there is an in- 
ternal vision in man, by which, when opened, he may look into 
futurity to a limited extent, than there is in comprehending the 
fact, that he can look abroad many billions of miles into space. If 
the oyster and the worm could reason upon it, to them both would 
be equally wonderful. 

On a preceding page, Dr. Dwight admits, that God has revealed 
his purposes of the future " in some few instances in prophecy." 
In some few instances ! In what instances ? and to whom. ? What 
is the rule, whereby the Dr. determines the true prophet ? Does 
he allege, that there are no true prophets now ; that there have 
been none since the Book of Revelation was written ; anoVthat 
there never will be any more ? If that is what he means, on what 
authority does he make the assertion ? Why does he not assert 
the fact more distinctly ? What reason can be given, why the 
spirit of prevision and clairvoyance should be imparted to man 
during four thousand years of his history and withheld forever 
afterwards ? 

There is no truth in such an assertion. It is contradicted by 
the whole current of history. There were seers among the ancient 
Jews ; prophets among the later Jews ; prophets among the an- 
cient Romans ; persons gifted with the power of divination among 
the ancient Greeks ; and persons gifted with second sight among 
the ancient Scotch. In modern times there have been prophets 
among the Swiss ; prophets among the French ; prophets in this 
country; and seers and clairvoyants in many other countries. All 
these belong to the same class, and many such, through the ages 
that are past, have been endowed with power to look into the fu- 
ture, to a greater or less extent. 

The rule given in Scripture, for trying the mediums for prophecy, 
is to look to the accomplishment of the prophecies, and not to the 
age or country in which the seers live. " When a prophet speak- 
eth in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to 
pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the 
prophet hath spoken it presumptuously." (Deut. xviii. 22.) 
Swedenborg saw in vision and accurately foretold the precise day 



14 



of his own decease ; also the very hour of the decease of Olof 
Olofsohn ; and the happening of many other interesting events. 
These have past into history. Judged by the rule of the Scrip- 
tures, Swedenborg was a true seer. By this, the speaker does not 
mean to assert, that he could foresee all events, nor that he was 
free from mistakes. He would not be willing to assert nor to ad- 
mit that, in relation to any of the prophets, whose writings are 
recorded in the old testament. He can ascribe omniscience to none 
but God. 

In our own time, the death of the late Czar Nicholas, was fore- 
seen and foretold in this country three months before the event. 
The late war in the Crimea, was foreseen and foretold in this 
country eighteen months before its commencement.* 1 "When 
the Arctic was destroyed, her disaster was communicated to four 
different persons, who were unknown to each other, and that at 
the same instant it occurred, and long before the news reached the 
shore."* The cases of true prophecy in this country within the 
last eight years, that are well authenticated, are quite numerous. 
Judging by the standard of the Jewish and Christian Scriptures, 
in the light of history, there have been true prophets and seers 
in the different ages and countries of the world, to whom some 
things of the future have been made known ; and we have them 
among us still. 

This is precisely what we ought to expect. The Divine law is 
not changed. The mode of Divine communication is not altered. 
Paul, writing to his Corinthian brethren, while giving rules for 
the perpetual guidance of Christians, says : " Follow after char- 
ity and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye might prophesy." 
( 1 Cor. xiv. 1.) St. Paul never would have urged upon members 
of the Christian Church to seek for the spirit of prophecy, if he 
had supposed they could not possibly attain it. Here we leave 
this point. On one side, is the positive testimony of Moses, Paul, 
Swedenborg, and the whole volume of history ; on the other, the 
negative testimony of Dr. Dwight and the whole host of skeptics 
and infidels. 

Dr. Dwight next makes the following declarations : 

" The state of the Invisible World is absolutely secret with God." — "The 
World of Spirits, and I include here Heaven and Hell, their respective local- 
ities — so far as they have locality, the actual condition of departed persons 
individually, and all intercommunication with such persons and with the dead 
generally ; — all this, excepting the few and general revelations which are 



* John W. Edmonds. 



15 



contained in the Scriptures, is entirely hidden from men." — " God has de- 
termined, that we should possess just so much knowledge of the World of 
Spirits, as can be acquired from His own announcements by inspired prophets 
and apostles and the Savior ; and he has also determined that we should pos- 
sess no other knowledge. The fact that he has revealed to us in the Bible, 
what we thus actually know respecting the invisible world and its inhabitants, 
is in itself decisive evidence, that He lias purposed we should know nothing 
additional. What we have there revealed to us, He has disclosed to us for 
our profit : what he has not there revealed, He has withheld for the same 
reason." — " We know that God, as the Infinite Ruler who has given the 
Bible to men, and Christ, as the crownedTMediator who now rules directly 
in the World of Spirits, will permit no such knowledge to be communicated 
from any other source." 

All this is mere dogmatical assertion, and what is worse, it is 
directly contrary to the doctrines of the Bible. There is no book 
like the Bible, to prove the progressive nature of revelation, and 
the faith of Spiritualism. The revelations, that are therein 
recorded, were given from time to time, in a very gradual manner, 
and spread over a period of more than four thousand years. One 
revelation was given to Adam ; another to Noah ; and others still 
to the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. One revelation 
was given to Moses at Sinai ; another in the land of Moab ; oth- 
ers still to the various Judges, and some very important ones to 
Samuel. Other revelations were given to David ; many others, 
through many ages, by other prophets, whose writings have come 
down to us ; others still, by other prophets, whose writings have 
been lost in the lapse of time ; and doubtless, many more by seers 
and prophets, that were never committed to writing. In the ful- 
ness of time, Christ came, when higher and still more important 
revelations were made through him. 

How does the fact, that God has made unto us certain revela- 
tions, which are recorded in the Bible, furnish "decisive evidence," 
or even the slightest evidence, " that he has purposed we should 
know nothing additional," in relation to the world of spirits ? Did 
God's revelations to Adam furnish "decisive evidence," that it was 
his purpose that none of Adam's posterity " should know anything 
additional ? " Did His revelations to Noah furnish " decisive evi- 
dence," that it was His purpose, that none of the posterity of Noah 
" should know anything additional ? " Did His revelations to 
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob furnish " decisive evidence," that it 
was His purpose, that none of their posterity " should know 
anything additional ? " Did His revelations to Moses in Sinai 
furnish "decisive evidence," that He would not make other 



16 

and further revelations to him in the land of Moab ? Did the 
revelations to Moses furnish " decisive evidence," that God would 
not by His angels, from time to time, make other and further 
revelations to the various Judges, to Samuel, to David, to Isaiah, 
to Jeremiah, to Daniel, and the other prophets whose writings 
are recorded in the Old Testament ; to other prophets whose 
writings have not been preserved ; and to others still whose 
prophecies were never written ? Surely, all these questions must 
be answered in the negative. 

The fact, that we have now embodied in the two Testaments 
a record of many revelations from the world of spirits, no more 
furnishes evidence, that God is determined, that we should possess 
no other knowledge from that source, than the fact, that many 
revelations had been embodied in the Old Testament, before the 
advent of Christ, furnished evidence, that none of the revelations, 
recorded in the New Testament, would ever be received. On the 
contrary, the fact, that revelation, by means of angels, was grad- 
ual and progressive from age to age, for more than four thousand 
years, furnishes strong presumptive evidence, that other and fur- 
ther revelations were to be given afterwards. 

This is in accordance with the doctrines of Christ. He dis- 
tinctly informed his disciples, that spiritual gifts were to continue 
among his followers, and that revelations would be given from time 
to time, and become more elevated, as the people became more ele- 
vated, and in a fitter condition to receive them. " Verily, verily, 
I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall 
he do also ; and greater works than these shall he do ; because I 
go to my Father." (John xiv. 12.) "I have yet many things to say 
unto you, but ye cannot bear them now." (Johnxvi. 12.) This text 
distinctly declares, that the truths of the Divine law, are to be com- 
municated to men gradually, as they are in a condition to receive 
them. If there were higher truths in reserve, which the apostles 
were not in a condition to receive, how was it with others ? The 
apostles had constantly waited on Christ and heard his instructions 
for nearly three years. They must have been greatly in advance of 
the world around them. 

Lest some one should say, this applied wholly to the apostles, 
and that, at their decease, the streams of revelation from the 
world of spirits, were forever closed up ; we have another declar- 
ation ascribed to Christ, to meet that suggestion, which certainly 
applies to those believers, who should come after the apostles. 
" And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach 



17 

the gospel to every creature. And these signs shall follow them 
that believe : In my name shall they cast out demons ; they shall 
speak with new tongues ; they shall take up serpents ; and if 
they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them ; they shall 
lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover." (Mark xvi. 15, 
17,18.) 

This is expressly applied to those, who should become believers 
through the instructions of the apostles. Of course, it included 
great multitudes who survived them. It cannot well be denied, 
that it applies to all who shall become believers, by reading the 
gospels and other writings of the apostles. If so, we have an 
express promise of Christ, that revelations and other spiritual 
gifts shall continue among Christians, so long as men shall 
become believers by reading the writings of the apostles. Reve- 
lations and other spiritual gifts did continue in the Church for 
about three hundred years after the crucifixion. For the truth 
of this we have the testimony of Mosheim's Ecclesiastical History. 
In his first volume, on page 104, he says : 

"The light of the Gospel was introduced into Iberia, a province of Asia, 
now called Georgia) in the following manner : a certain woman was carried 
into that country as a captive, during the reign of Constantine ; and by the 
grandeur of her miracles, and the remarkable sanctity of her life and man- 
ners, she made such an impression on the king and queen, that they aban- 
doned their false gods, embraced the faith of the Gospel, and sent to 
Constantinople for proper persons to give them and their people a more 
satisfactory and complete knowledge of the Christian religion." 

This was in the fourth century. After maturely considering 
the whole ground and all the authorities, on the next page he says : 

"I am willing to grant, that many events have been rashly deemed mirac- 
ulous which were the result of the ordinary laws of nature ; and also tha 
pious frauds were sometimes used, for the purpose of giving new degrees of 
weight and dignity to the Christian cause. But 1 cannot, on the other 
hand, assent to the opinions of those who maintain that in this century, 
miracles had entirely ceased ; and that at this period, the Christian Church 
was not favored with any extraordinary or supernatural marks of a Divine 
power engaged in its cause," 

It will be perceived, that Mosheim, speaking of the spiritual 
gifts in the Christian church, in accordance with the custom of his 
times, calls them "extraordinary," "supernatural," and "miracu- 
lous." We think there can be no doubt, that they were manifes- 
tations from the world of spirits, similar to those, recorded in the 
Jewish and Christian Scriptures, and to those, that have been oc- 
curring within the last few years in our own country. 
2 



1! 



If God has revealed to us in the Bible, all that is necessary for 
us to know; if it is true, that what God has there revealed, " He 
has disclosed to us for our profit ; and what He has not there 
revealed, He has withheld for the same reason," as substantially 
asserted by Dr. D wight, in his sermon ; then why did He make 
the revelations that were recorded in the Books that are lost ? If 
those revelations were not necessary for men in ancient days, why 
were they given? If those revelations were necessary for men 
in ancient days, how can it be shown that they are not necessary 
now ? I speak of the revelations in the Books, called, " the Wars 
of the Lord ; " the " Book of Jasher ; " the " Acts of Solomon; " 
the Books of " Shemaiah the Prophet," of " Nathan the Prophet," 
of " Gad the Seer," of " Iddo the Seer, concerning Genealogies," 
and of the " Visions of Iddo the Seer."* 

It will be observed, that our Bible contains references to these 
Books, as the original sources, from which certain facts were com- 
piled. Scarcely anything, from the Book of Jasher and the Book 
of the Wars of the Lord, can be found in our Bible. From the 
other Books, more has been preserved in the histories of David 
and Solomon. If such revelations, as were given in those Books, 
that have since been lost, were not important to men then, why 
were they given ? And if they were important to men then, where 
is the evidence, that those same revelations would not be impor- 
tant to men now ? And how can the proposition be maintained, 
that God has withheld from us those Books and the truths con- 
tained in them, for our profit ? 

Dr. D wight is himself a notable instance of the progressive na- 
ture of revelation. In view of the numerous and continued ag- 
gressions of the slave power, working through our national gov- 
ernment, trampling upon the rights of the people of the north, 
commanding them to do acts, known to be contrary to the Divine 
law, as well as crushing the life out of the poor in our land ; in 
the month of December, 1851, it was deemed advisable, by a num- 
ber of religious men in Portland, to hold an anti-slavery meeting 
of Christians of all denominations, at Augusta, for conference and 
prayer, that we might confer together and ask counsel of God, as 
to our several duties, in stopping the progress of the dreadful evil 
of slavery. The meeting was held on the twentieth day of Janu- 
ary, 1852. 

We desired to have the names of all the Christian ministers, or 



*Numb. xxi. 14. Josh. x. 13. 2 Saml. i. 18. 1 Kings xi. 41. 1 Chron. 
xxix. 29. 2 Chron. ix. 29 ; xii. 15 j xiii. 22. 



19 

as many as could conveniently be obtained, appended to the call 
for that meeting. The speaker presented that call to a number of 
the Christian ministers in Portland, all of whom readily signed it. 
When Dr. D wight was asked to sign, as we were informed by the 
member of the committee who presented it to him, he promptly 
answered, " No ! It could not possibly do any good, but might 
do much harm." 

Since the passage of the Nebraska bill in 1854, the Doctor has 
become a champion in the cause of freedom. At a meeting of the 
American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, held at 
Hartford, in September of that year, as Chairman of the Pruden- 
tial Committee, "he reported resolutions and sustained them in 
an able, impassioned and powerful argument," displaying the 
wickedness of holding men in slavery, and thereby preventing 
them from reading the Bible. * 

The Divine law had always been the same. It had always con- 
demned the sin of slave-holding. But it appears this law had been 
recently revealed to Dr. Dwight. It would not be charitable, to sup- 
pose he knew his duty in this behalf, in December, 1851, but re- 
fused to perform it then, because the cause was unpopular at that 
time, and so waited, till he knew the majority of the people of Maine 
would be with him, before he moved. No. We must understand 
that his duty towards the slave, had been newly revealed or made 
known to him. But this gospel of freedom for all men, had been 
revealed to William Lloyd Garrison in 1831, and to a great many 
other minds in the country, long before it reached the understand- 
ing of Dr. Dwight. 

In order to maintain his position, that the invisible world, or 
world of spirits, is absolutely secret with God, and that He will 
permit no spiritual communications therefrom, Dr. Dwight cites 
four passages from the New Testament. It is a remarkable fact, 
that he misrepresents the meaning of every one of those passages, 
and that every one of them teaches the doctrine of spiritual inter- 
course. Two of them are from the Book of Revelation. 

It is passing strange, that any one, however ignorant, should 
quote that Book, to prove, that departed spirits cannot communi- 
cate with men in the body. That whole Book is a continued 
series of spiritual manifestations, from beginning to end. It was 
all dictated and shown to John by an angel or messenger of JesU)S 
Christ, who was the departed spirit of one oi the prophets^ The 



* New York Weekly Tribune, Sept. 23, 1854. 



20 

manifestations altogether were so grand, that John was bewildered, 
and on two several occasions, mistook the angel for God Almighty, 
fell down at his feet, and was about to worship him. On both 
occasions, the angel informed him, that he was only a man, and one 
of his brethren, and charged him to worship God. (Rev. xix. 10 ; 
xxii. 8, 9.) 
In the beginning of the Book, it is declared to be — 

"The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto 
his servants, things which must shortly come to pass ; and he sent, and signi- 
fied it by his angel unto his servant John : who bear record of the word of 
God and of the testimony of Jesus Christj and of all things that he saw." 

So before this Revelation, which came from God, was commu- 
nicated to the people, it had to pass through three mediums, two, 
that were in the world of spirits, and the apostle John. ' God gave 
the Revelation to Jesus Christ ; Christ sent it by the spirit of one 
of the ancient prophets ; and finally the spirit of that prophet used 
John, as his medium for communicating it to the people. 

John says: " I was in the spirit on the Lord's day, and heard 
behind me a great voice as of a trumpet." (i. 10,) This signi- 
fies, that the spirit of the prophet, had taken possession of his 
organs and placed him in the spiritual state or the state of trance, 
in the same manner as the mediums of the present day, are en- 
tranced by departed spirits. John, being placed in the spiritual or 
trance state, the voice was spiritual and perceived by the apostle's 
internal or spiritual organs of hearing. The voice directed him to 
describe what he saw, in a book, and send it to the seven churches 
of Asia. Then John gives a description of what he saw : — 

"I saw seven golden candlesticks ; and in the midst of the seven candle- 
sticks, one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the 
foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs 
were white like wool, as white as snow ; and his eyes were as a flame of fire ; 
and his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace ; and hia voice 
as the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars ; and 
out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword ; and his countenance was 
as the sun shineth in his strength. And when I saw him, I fell at his feet 
as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not ; I 
am the first and the last : I am he that liveth and was dead ; and, behold, I 
am alive forevermore, Amen; and have the keys of Hades and of death.'' 
(Rev. i. 12—18.) 

This image was not Jesus Christ in person, but was clearly an 
allegorical picture or spiritual manifestation presented by the angel 
to John, while in trance, to represent several things in relation to 
God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Divine Truth. We cannot 



21 

stop to explain the allegory ; but that it was a picture, spiritually 
presented to John by the spirit of the prophet or angel, and not a 
reality, is abundantly evident. It is not stated, that he was the 
Son of man, but that he was like the Son of man. No doubt this 
was true. But in several particulars it could be true only in an 
allegorical sense. We cannot suppose, that the head and hairs of 
Christ, in his glorified state, in any literal sense, are " as white as 
snow ; " or that his eyes, in any literal sense, resemble " a flame 
of fire ; " or that his feet, in any literal sense, are " like fine brass 
burning in a furnace ; " or that a sharp two-edged sword, in any 
literal sense, " goes out of his mouth ; " or that he, in any literal 
sense, has " in his right hand seven stars ; " or that his voice, in 
any literal sense, resembles " the sound of many waters." All 
these were spiritual and allegorical. The angel informs John, that 
it is an allegory, and shows him, that the seven golden candlesticks 
signify the seven churches of Asia, and that the seven stars sig- 
nify the angels or pastors of those churches. 

Moreover, it is clear, that Jesus Christ was not himself present, 
from the first verse, in which it is said that " he sent and signified 
it by his angel unto his servant John." This angel was, on that 
occasion, alike the representative or medium of God the Father 
and the Son of man ; and John was the immediate medium of the 
angel, who, by the power of his will through the organism of the 
apostle, was enabled to present this allegorical picture to his inter- 
nal vision, and to hold intercourse with him by conversation, pro- 
ducing an audible voice to his internal sense of hearing. 

That this angel spoke as the representative of God the Father, 
is evident from his language. He says, "lam Alpha and Omega ;" 
"lam the First and the Last." This language is appropriate to 
none but God. That the angel spoke as the representative of 
Jesus Christ, is also evident from the following language : "I am 
he that liveth and was dead ; and, behold, I am alive forevermore." 
This language was appropriate for Christ, and was doubtless spoken 
by the angel as his representative, although, in itself, it was ap- 
propriate for the spirit of the prophet also. 

When Christ, speaking by the prophet, informed John, that 
although as to his body, he had died, he was still alive, and that 
he should live forevermore, lest his appearance should excite doubt, 
perplexity, or surprise in the mind of John, as it had been a long 
time, since he had made any personal manifestation of himself, he 
added : " and have the keys of Hades and of death," to show to 
John, that, in spite of death, he still had the power to come from 



22 

Hades or the world of spirits, and communicate with him, when 
he chose to do so. This declaration of Christ by the angel, that 
he had " the keys of Hades and of death," is the first passage 
cited in the sermon to prove, that all intercourse with the world of 
spirits, is forbidden by Christ. 

Now the truth is, that Christ had himself sent the spirit of this 
ancient prophet from the world of spirits, to make the revelations 
in the Apocalypse, and Jesus Christ was himself holding inter- 
course in that manner with John. The spirit, or Christ by the 
spirit, makes the declaration, that he had " the keys," to signify 
that, notwithstanding his death, he was able by the power of his 
will, through the mediumship of John, to open the gates and come 
and converse with him. The fact, that the spirit of this prophet 
had, or that Christ had, the keys of Hades, so that he could return 
and converse with men in the material form, furnishes no evidence, 
that other spirits have not keys also, whereby they can come and 
communicate also. 

Christ said unto Peter, " I will give unto thee the keys of the 
kingdom of heaven." (Mat. xvi. 19,) But this did not prevent 
him from giving keys of the kingdom of heaven to the other dis- 
ciples also. When he met the apostles, after his resurrection, in 
different language, he gave unto them the same commission and 
the same power he had conferred on Peter, saying : " Whose so- 
ever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them ; and whose so- 
ever sins ye retain, they are retained." (John xx. 23.) But 
although Christ first committed to Peter the keys of the kingdom 
of Heaven, that is to say, the power of so presenting the Divine 
Truth, as to be the means of opening the portals of Heaven, and 
of introducing many persons into that kingdom ; and although he 
afterwards committed similar keys or the same powers to the other 
disciples ; yet, we apprehend, no one supposes, that Christ himself 
remains without keys to the same kingdom. 

In like manner, Christ had the keys of Hades and of death, 
that is to say, he had power to come from the world of spirits, 
and hold intercourse with men, and commissioned the spirit of that 
ancient prophet, as his angel, to come and make those revelations 
to John. But this furnishes no argument, that other departed spirits 
cannot come from Hades and hold intercourse with men in the ma- 
terial body, but the contrary. If one departed spirit was permitted 
to come, it furnishes presumptive evidence, that, under favorable cir- 
cumstances, others might come also. " To the law and the testi- 
mony." The law says, they can come. The testimony of history 



23 

shows, that they have come in thousands of instances. The whole 
doctrine of the first chapter in the Book of Revelation is in per- 
fect accordance with Spiritualism, and one of the finest specimens 
that was ever written. 

The next passage cited in the sermon to prove that God will 
permit no communications from the world of spirits, is from Reve- 
lation xxii. 18, 19 : — 

"For I testify unto every man, that heareth the words of the prophecy of 
this book, if any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him 
the plagues that are written in this book : and if" any man shall take away 
from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part 
out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things that 
are written in this book." 

In commenting on this text, Dr. Dwight says, God assures us : 

"That the account which it gives of the world unseen was in itself com- 
plete, and that no further revelations were to be anticipated." 

The passage is found in the last Book in the Bible, and applies 
to that alone. It has no reference whatever to the other Books 
of the Bible. It simply means, that nothing should be added to 
the Book of Revelation, or made a part of it, and that nothing 
should be taken therefrom. To take from that Book or add to it, 
would be to pass off a forgery upon. John, and make him speak 
something different from what he wrote. 

It could not, by possibility, mean that nothing was to be added 
to the Bible as a Book ; for the Bible did not exist as a Book, at 
that time. None of the Books of the New Testament had then 
been collected and appended to the Old Testament. Nor can it 
mean, that no other Books are to be appended or prefixed to the 
Book of Revelation and bound up with it. If this were the 
meaning, then all the publishers of the Bible, including the 
members of the American Bible Society, would be guilty of vio- 
lating the command, by adding the other sixty-five Books. 

Nor does it mean nor intimate, that no further revelations were 
to come from the world of spirits. It is a simple prohibition 
laid upon all, that they must not alter the Book of Revelation 
itself, and so make it speak what the revelator did not intend. 

In like manner Moses laid this prohibition : "Ye shall not add 
unto the word, which I command you, neither shall ye diminish 
aught from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord 
your God, which I command you." ( Deut. iv. 2.) As well 
might Dr. Dwight, from these words of Moses, insist, that God 
had assured the people, that the account, which Moses had pre- 



24 

viously given " of the world unseen, was in itself complete, and 
that no farther revelations were to be anticipated," as to insist 
upon it, from the passage he has cited from Revelation. Accord- 
ing to that logic, all the revelations, after the fourth chapter of 
Deuteronomy, are to be rejected with as little ceremony, as Dr. 
D wight rejects the revelations of the present age. Certainly 
Moses had no such meaning. For he went straight forward, 
receiving and communicating new revelations, the same as before ; 
and at length made this declaration : " The Lord thy God will 
raise up unto thee a prophet from the midst of thee, of thy 
brethren, like unto me ; unto him ye shall hearken." ( Deut. 
xviii. 15.) 

Moses did not mean to declare, that the Book of Revelation 
was closed ; but he knew, that the minds of the Israelites were 
gross and sensual ; and therefore he prohibited the people from 
altering the statutes, which he had written. But he predicted, 
that further revelations would be given. In like manner the 
Reve.lator, when he wrote the Apocalypse, knew, that the minds 
of the people were still gross and sensual, and that they could 
not add to the revelation which he had given, without altering his 
meaning. So he added the injunction which has been cited. 
There still remainj the prediction of Christ, that spiritual gifts 
should be continued among believers. This prediction was 
known to Paul and John ; and they also knew, that these gifts 
would be continued by the agency of departed spirits, the same 
agency, by which the Law and Apocalypse were dictated. 

In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul enumerates a great 
variety of spiritual gifts in the following language : 

" The manifestation of the spirit is given to every man to profit withal. 
For to one is given by the spirit the word of wisdom ; to another, the word 
of knowledge by the same spirit; to another, faith by the same spirit; to 
another the gift of healing by the same spirit ; to another the working of 
miracles ; to another prophecy ; to another divers kinds of tongues ; to 
another the interpretation of tongues : " and then at the close of the chapter 
he calls upon all Christians, to " covet earnestly the best gifts." (1 Cor. xii. 
7—10, 31.) 

John cautions his Christian brethren as follows : " Beloved, 
believe not every spirit, but try the spirits, whether they be of 
God ; because many false prophets are gone out into the world." 
( 1 John iv. 1.) 

But Christ certainly has not assured us, that the account, which 
the Book of Revelation gives of the unseen world, is "complete," 



25 

as asserted by Dr. Dwight. We think, that Book has no reference 
whatever to the unseen world. After the first chapter, which 
has been already examined, follow the epistles of the apostle to 
the seven churches in Asia. Then succeeds a great variety of 
allegorical pictures ; visions of a throne ; of the four and twenty 
elders ; of four beasts ; of the book with seven seals ; of the 
opening of the seals ; of the white horse, the red horse, the black 
horse, and the pale horse ; of the seven angels with their trum- 
pets ; of the great red dragon ; of the beast with seven heads 
and ten horns and ten crowns on his horns ; of the seven last 
plagues ; of the seven vials of wrath ; and of other startling 
imagery. All these are spiritual and allegorical, representative 
of things pertaining to the earth and the kingdoms and sovereigns 
thereof. That it is all spiritual and allegorical appears from the 
tenth chapter and tenth verse, wherein the apostle states, that he 
ate a book. But this must have been spiritual and allegorical, 
for we know, that no man can eat and digest a material book. 

The first verse in the Book shows, that the vision was to be of 
" things which must shortly come to pass." In the seventh 
verse, the revelator, speaking of the coming of Christ, which he 
connects with the things signified in the vision, says : " Behold 
he cometh with clouds." This language is similar to that used 
by Matthew in his gospel in relation to the same event, which, he 
says, was to take place in that very generation. ( Matthew xxiv. 
30, 34.) In the last verse but one in the Book, the revelator 
says : " Surely I come quickly." The whole Book is clearly 
intended by a series of symbols and images, to shadow forth cer- 
tain changes, that were to take place on the earth, and which were 
immediately to commence. I trust it is now made evident, that 
the Book of Revelation teaches the doctrine, that departed 
spirits can and do communicate with men in the material body ; 
and that both of the texts cited therefrom, by Dr. D wight, were 
grossly misrepresented by him. 

We next have the following declaration in the sermon : 

" In affirming that the state of the Invisible World is an absolutely secret 
thing with God, and in observing that, as one proof of this, God has deter- 
mined that men while on earth shall possess no knowledge of that world 
additional to the revelations now made in the Bible respecting it, I would 
further say, that Christ has distinctly asserted this in the parable of the rich 
man and Lazarus." 

Surely this is a gross misrepresentation ! Christ did not assert 
and could not have asserted in that parable, that " God had deter- 



26 

mined that men while on earth should possess no knowledge of 
the Invisible World additional to the revelations in the Bible 
respecting it ; " for when he put forth that parable, none of the 
Books of the New Testament were written ! None of them were 
written till nearly thirty years afterwards ! 

Again Dr. Dwight makes the following declarations : 

*" Christ represents Abraham as then replying, that these brethren of the 
rich man possessed the writings of Moses and the prophets which were 
warning sufficient : and when the rich man then said that, if one went to 
them from the world of the dead the warning would be more powerful, his 
request is finally refused, in the declaration that if these brethren would not 
listen to Moses and the Prophets, a messenger from the world of spirits 
would have no power to persuade them. Christ has thus declared that the 
writings of the Old Testament — and far, far, more positively does he affirm 
this of the entire Bible— that these writings are all that men need for the 
attainment of their salvation ; that a departed spirit, were he to appear again 
on earth, could not benefit those whom he might visit and warn ; and that no 
communication from the world of spirits to man would, accordingly, be per- 
mitted." 

All this is a gross misrepresentation of the doctrine of Christ. 
In this parable he does not assert any thing directly. But as the 
parable was put forth by him, he may be considered, as asserting, 
whatever it teaches. Language is put into the mouth of Abra- 
ham. He is represented as saying : u They [ the rich man's five 
brethren] have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them." 
And again : " If they [these five brethren] hear not Moses and 
the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose 
from the dead." 

Abraham is not represented as making a declaration, that " the 
writings of Moses and the prophets were warning sufficient," for 
mankind in general ; but only that those five brethren had, by 
their excessive indulgence in sensuality, so increased their natural 
appetites and passions, and so darkened the light of reason and 
conscience, that it would be of no use to send a messenger unto 
them from the dead ; that they would no more give heed to such 
a messenger than to the writings of Moses and the Prophets. In 
this, Abraham was doubtless perfectly correct. In all probability 
their sensuality had driven them into infidelity. If a messenger 
had come to them from the world of spirits, they would not have 
received him. They would have denied, that he came from the 
dead ; or that a departed spirit could possibly return and commu- 
nicate. They would have denounced it all as the joint production 
of " trickery," and " mesmerism," as readily as Dr. Dwight him- 



27 

self. Perhaps and very likely, they would have been the first 
persons, to appeal from the evidence of their own senses to the 
records of Moses, to prove that such a manifestation of the spirit, 
was all a " delusion" and could not be. — 

Christ does not " declare, that the writings of the Old Testa- 
ment are all that men need for the attainment of their salvation," 
as asserted by Dr. D wight ! We have the best evidence possible, 
that he never taught and never meant to teach any such thing. 
If he thought, that the writings of the Old Testament were all, 
that men needed ; why did he come as a messenger to proclaim 
the Divine Truth more perfectly ? Why did he go about among 
the Jews in the face of danger and of death to bear witness to 
that Truth ? With the certain knowledge in his mind, that his 
perseverance in proclaiming the Truth of God, in opposition to 
the retaliatory, revengeful, and formal system of the Mosaic code, 
would bring him to the cross, why did he continue in that course, 
if he supposed, that the writings of the Old Testament were all 
that men need for the attainment of their salvation ? 

Christ himself speaks of this proclamation of the Divine Truth, 
as though it was the whole object of his mission : "To this end 
was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should 
bear witness to the truth." (John xviii. 37.) So necessary for 
man did he consider this proclamation of the Divine Truth by 
hi?n, that he again speaks of it, as more important than all pre- 
ceding revelations : " If J had not come and spoken unto them, 
they had not had sin ; but now they have no cloak for their sin. 3 ' 
(John xv. 22.) 

Again Christ does not affirm of the entire Bible, that its " writ- 
ings are all that men need for the attainment of their salvation," 
as asserted by Dr. D wight ! He said nothing about the entire 
Bible ! We have already seen, that none of the Books of the 
New Testament were written till nearly thirty years afterwards ! 

Once more, Christ did not affirm, " that a departed spirit, were 
he to appear again on earth, could not benefit those whom he 
might visit and warn," as asserted by Dr. Dwight ! He did not 
affirm, " that no communication from the world of spirits would, 
accordingly, be permitted," as asserted by Dr. Dwight ! His 
pure and truthful lips could not, by possibility, have made any 
such false assertions. He knew, that such assertions, if he had 
made them, would have been untrue. He knew that departed 
spirits had often been permitted to communicate with men while 
in the material body. He knew, that they had communicated 



28 

with Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Samuel, Elijah, Daniel, and many- 
others in time past. He knew, that they had communicated 
with himself personally at the close of the scene of temptation, 
upon the mount of transfiguration and on many other occasions. 
He knew and had already predicted, that he should return and 
communicate himself. ( Mark ix. 31.) We think it is now made 
evident, that Dr. Dwight has grossly misrepresented this parable. 

Does it teach Spiritualism ? It is a beautiful allegory and we 
think one of the finest passages, of which the Bible is full, to 
prove the truth of that doctrine. The scene was laid far back in 
the past, The "rich man was clothed in purple and fine linen, 
and fared sumptuously every day." No other charge is made 
against him. By this language, we understand, that he was a 
sensualist, and had indulged his appetites and passions to such a 
degree of excess, as greatly to inflame his natural desires, while 
he had outlived his capacity for sensual enjoyment. This is rep- 
resented by his being in torment. In the original it is vTrapyuv 
iv fiao-dvois — being subject to a test or distressing state of trial. 

It is also represented by his being tormented in a flame, and 
expressing a desire, that Lazarus might be permitted to dip the 
tip of his finger in water and cool his tongue. The good things, 
which he received in his lifetime, were sensual things. Though 
good in themselves, they were converted into the greatest evil, by 
excessive indulgence. 

On the other hand, Lazarus the beggar, often suffered from 
hunger, and would have been glad to have received the crumbs, 
that fell from the rich man's table. This destitution and want 
were carried so far, as to produce disease in his physical system, — 
and at length, his dissolution. The evil things, which Lazarus 
received in his lifetime, were also sensual. For the time being, 
they were severe ; but they were temporary and closed at death. 
He had never stimulated his animal appetites and passions by 
indulgence in any excesses ; nor had he in any manner deprived 
himself of the capacity of enjoyment. It is represented, that 
both of them went into the world of spirits with all their appe- 
tites and passions, and just such characters as they had severally 
elaborated for themselves. 

The parable further teaches us, that when Lazarus died, he 
was surrounded by angels, who accompanied him to his proper 
place in Hades or the world of spirits, and that his proper position 
was in Abraham's bosom or the next place to Abraham. It fur- 
ther informs us, that the rich man also went to Hades at death, 



29 

where he met Abraham and Lazarus. Each entered upon life in 
Hades, in the same state and condition as he was in, when he 
left this world, in every respect, excepting his external body, 
which was removed. The rich man carried with him his appetites 
and passions greatly excited and inflamed by excessive indulgence, 
but without capacity for enjoyment. The beggar carried with 
him temperate appetites, and passions moderated by restraint ; 
but coupled with a capacity for the highest degree of gratification 
or enjoyment. All this is in precise accordance with the doctrines 
of Spiritualism. 

The parable also teaches, that the great gulf, — ^aa-jxa /xeya — 
literally, the great chasm, between the rich man and Lazarus, 
was not a chasm in space, but a chasm or separation in state or 
condition. For Abraham, Lazarus, and the rich man are all 
represented to be in Hades together, and so near, in locality, that 
they can converse together without difficulty. No doubt seems 
to be entertained by Abraham or the rich man, but that Lazarus 
might come from the world of spirits, and communicate with the 
rich man's brothers. But Abraham declines to send him, because 
these brothers have become so sensual, that it will do them no 
good. This is also in accordance with the doctrine of Spirit- 
ualism. 

The fact stated, that they who would pass from the rich man 
to Abraham, could not ; signifies, that a man by excessive indul- 
gence in the exercise of his appetites and passions, may so injure 
and debase his material, spiritual, intellectual, and moral condi- 
tion, as to lose all power of gratification by continuing the 
indulgence ; and that in such case he can never recover what he 
has lost. The fact stated, that they, who would pass from Abra- 
ham to the rich man, could not ; signifies, that after a man for 
many years, has continued to govern and control his appetites 
and passions, conforming himself to the laws of his being, he at 
length becomes so fixed and confirmed, in orderly habits of 
thought and action, that there is comparatively no danger, of his 
ever changing the course of his life by excessive indulgence of 
his appetites and passions, and of violating the laws of his being to 
such an extent, as to deprive himself of the capacity of enjoy- 
ment, naturally arising from the legitimate exercise of all his 
powers. All this is in precise accordance with the doctrines of 
Spiritualism, and we often see it exemplified in this life. 

The last passage cited by Dr. D wight, to show, "that no 
communication from the world of spirits to men, would be per- 



30 

mitted," is from 2 Cor., xii. 4. The whole passage is as follows : 

" I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. I knew a man in 
Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell ; or 
whether out of the body, I cannot tell : God knoweth ;) such a one caught 
up to the third heaven. I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of 
the body, 1 cannot tell : God knoweth :) how that he was caught up into 
paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to 
utter. (1, 2, 3, 4.) 

The Dr. in his explanation of this text, alleges the meaning to 
be : " which it was not right for him, or which he was not per- 
mitted to utter." The original Greek does not mean, and is not 
properly construed to signify, that it was morally wrong or un- 
lawful in that sense of the term, for Paul to utter the words. We 
cannot suppose it would be morally wrong for Paul to utter any 
words, which he was permitted to hear in the third heaven, if it 
was possible for him to do» so. If God allowed him to hear these 
unspeakable words, he would also allow him to communicate them 
to others, if he could; for " God is no respecter of persons." — ■ 
(Acts. x. 34.) 

After declaring, that the words were unspeakable, it would be 
simply ridiculous, to add that it would be morally wrong for a 
man to utter them. The original word, translated " lawful," is 
Z£bv. It may signify : " it is lawful" — it is permitted — or it 
is possible. These three significations are severally adopted in the 
English, French, and German translations. The common English 
translation represents, that Paul " heard unspeakable words, which 
it is not lawful for a man to utter." This cannot be the true 
meaning : for it would be silly, after stating that the words were 
" unspeakable," to add that it was unlawful or morally wrong to 
utter them. 

The French translation adopts the second meaning, thus : " des 
paroles ineffables, qu'il riest pas permis a un homme de rappor- 
ter" — unspeakable words, which it is not permitted for a man to 
relate. — Neither can this be the correct translation, for it is equiv- 
ocal. It may mean, that he is not permitted to relate them ; be- 
cause, while in his material body, he cannot use his spiritual or- 
gans of speech for that purpose ; which would be correct : or it 
may mean, that he is not permitted to relate them ; because it 
would be unlawful or wrong to do so ; in which sense, it would 
be liable to the same objection as the English translation. 

The proper translation is this: " unspeakable words, which it is 
not possible for a man to utter." The German translation adopts 



31 

this third and true signification, thus : Uttau3fpred)(lrf)e %Qoxte f 

roekfye fern 9D?enfrf) fctgen farnt — unspeakable words which no 

man can tell. 

These unspeakable words were heard in the third heaven, that is 
to say, in the world of spirits. They must have been uttered by a 
spiritual being with spiritual organs, and addressed to the spiritu- 
al sense of hearing. Paul was entranced by a spirit or put into 
the spiritual state. We think there is no reason to doubt, that he 
remained in the material body. His spiritual senses were opened, 
so that he could see the spirits and hear their language in the 
third heaven. If other persons in their normal condition, were 
present, they did not hear the words. These words could only be 
uttered by spiritual organs of speech, when divested of exter- 
nal matter. Paul was still clothed by an external body of matter. 
It was not possible for him to utter these words, because he could 
not freely exercise his internal organs of speech, for that purpose. 
Swedenborg was frequently found in conversation with spirits, 
when the persons present could not hear any sound from the spir- 
itual voice. After having stated, that the words were unspeakable, 
the apostle uses these additional words, to intensify the form of 
expression. 

This passage also teaches the doctrines of Spiritualism. It 
shows, that Paul was placed in the spiritual state or state of trance 
by a spirit, in the same manner as the mediums of the present day. 
He was in some degree unconscious, — (as they often are ;) so he 
was unable to say, whether he left his material body or not. His 
spiritual senses were opened, so that he was spiritually permitted, 
to see the spirits in the third heaven or sphere and to hear them 
speak. All this is in accordance with the experience of spiritual 
mediums of the present day ; and with the doctrines of Spiritual- 
ism, which divides heaven into different concave spheres. 

Dr. Dwight charges, that the 

" Descriptions of the unseen world and of the state of the departed, [by 
spiritual mediums,] have been stolen from Emanuel Swedenborg, when de- 
scribing his seven spheres or heavens or from others ; or if original, are just 
fit to fill the pages of a fourth-rate novel." 

Spiritualists might with more propriety, be charged with stealing 
their descriptions of the unseen world from Paul. He represent- 
ed the unseen world, as divided into heavens or spheres, many 
hundred years before Swedenborg was born. 

But Dr. Dwight ought to know, that Swedenborg was a Spirit- 
ualist himself, as well as Paul. Though this great seer of the 



32 

eighteenth century, differed in some respects from the generality of 
Spiritualists of the present day, yet he did not differ from them 
more, than some of them differ from others. Dr. D wight ought to 
know, that Swedenborghad his peculiarities ; that he never describ- 
ed seven heavens in the unseen world, and never used the word 
sphere with reference to the different localities in that world, in all 
his theological works. According to his writings, the unseen world 
was divided into three Heavens, three Hells, and a preliminary 
department, called the World of Spirits, into which the spirits of 
all go at first, and from which they mi'grate into the Heavens or 
the Hells. 

Whether the faith of the Spiritualists, that at death, man awakes 
to consciousness with a spiritual form in the unseen world, in the 
very same state and condition, he is in, at the time of his death, 
excepting his material body, is more ridiculous or more unreasona- 
ble than the vague, indefinite views held by Dr. Dwight, is sub- 
mitted to the common sense of each auditor. 

The speaker also submits to the audience, that he has now fully 
maintained his proposition, which was, that Dr. Dwight, in his 
sermon, misrepresents every one of the passages he cites from the 
New Testament, to prove that God will permit no communications 
from the world of spirits, and that every one of them teaches 
the doctrine of spiritual intercourse. If you think so, the speaker 
hopes you will not be too severe in your condemnation of the Dr. ; 
for you must remember, that he was not originally educated for 
the Pulpit, but for the Bar ; and it is a very common practice for 
some gentlemen of the Bar, to misrepresent the evidence, when 
they have a bad case. 

We think we have now fully shown, that revelation is contin- 
uous and progressive. After all this labored argument, Dr. 
Dwight seems to admit this himself. He says : — 

"They [the secret things of God,] are secret, because He [God] has not 
revealed them ; and because, it is His purpose not to reveal them, while the 
Christian dispensation continues.' 1 '' 

This implies, that the Christian dispensation is not always to 
be continued ; but is to be succeeded by one more religious dispen- 
sation at least ; and that when the Christian dispensation is closed, 
other revelations may be expected. We suppose it will not be con- 
tended, that the various religious dispensations have heretofore 
been, or will hereafter be separated from each other by any precise 
instant of time, marking the line of division, like a partition wall, 



33 

so that they can be distinguished from each other by mathematical 
accuracy ; but on the other hand, it will be admitted, that they 
blend into each other like the tints of a painting. With this un- 
derstanding, we would inquire : How long is the Christian dispen- 
sation to continue ? When is it to close ? Is Dr. Dwight sure, 
that it has not already closed ? Or is he sure, that it is not even 
now gradually passing into a new dispensation ? If that is so, then 
according to Dr. Dwight even, we have a right to expect new re- 
velations. Well, then, if we are actually receiving new revela- 
tions, that will furnish an argument, to show, that the Christian 
dispensation is gradually passing into a new and higher dispen- 
sation of Divine Truth. 

Again it is asserted in this sermon, that other things 

"Are made secret now, that will be revealed hereafter ; but while thus 
unrevealed, they are as absolutely secret as is God's self-existence." 

No doubt of that. That is just what the Spiritualists allege. 
But is it not contrary to the doctrine of Dr. Dwight ? They will 
be secret till they are revealed ! But when will they be revealed r 
To whom are they to be revealed ? And who is to reveal them ? 
We maintain, that they will be revealed through the ministry of 
angels or the spirits of men ; that God is ever ready to reveal 
them ; and that some of these secret things are in course of rev- 
elation now. On the other hand, Dr. Dwight asserts, that they 
will be revealed hereafter. But he cannot say, when they will be 
revealed ; nor, how they will be revealed ; nor by whom they are 
to be revealed ; nor to whom they are to be revealed ; only he 
knows, that they are not to be revealed in this age, nor by angels 
through spiritual mediums. 

Dr. Dwight declares, that he speaks 

" Literal verity when affirming, that in all the published volumes of these 
pretended revelations, there is not one original and valuable thought," 

We will give you a specimen, and you can judge for yourselves. 
In the beautiful Lyric, by Mrs. Hemans, entitled the Land of 

Dreams, will be found the following soliloquy embraced in the 8th 

and 11th stanzas : 

" They are there, — and each blessed voice I hear, 
«« Kindly and joyous, and silvery clear ; 
11 But undertones are in each, that say, — 

'« It is but a dream, it will melt away." 

***** 

" And away, like a flower's passing breath 'tis gone, 
" And I wake more sadly, more deeply lone ! 
8 



34 



" Oh ! a haunted heart, is a weight to bear ; — 

11 Bright faces, kind voices ! — where are you, where ? " 

A worthy lady of the Methodist church, in the eastern part of 
this city, of common education, and not accustomed to write poe- 
try, was reading " The Land of Dreams," about eighteen months 
since, and when she came to the lines above recited, her hand and 
brain were deeply influenced by spiritual power, supposed to be 
the spirit of their author, who wrote through her hand the follow- 
ing response : 

4t Oh it was not a dream ; those voices I heard, 
" Which swept o'er my soul, and so thrillingly stirred] 
u The deep fount of feeling, stole out from the strand 
" Of my sweet happy home, the bright spirit land. 

" No ; it was not a dream ; the soft melting lays, 
'♦That wrapt my whole being in heaven's own praise, 
" Came wafted afar from the land of the blest, 
" And struck the sweet spirit-chords strung in my breast. 

" 1 have found them all here, the loved and the lost ; 
" The care-worn and weary, so tremblingly tost, 
" On life's troubled ocean, have here found a home, 
" No longer to sorrow, no longer to roam. 

*« I have found them all here ; the tendrils of love, 
" That lay torn and bleeding nor upward could move, 
*• Are healed by the breath of affection's deep sigh, 
" And bid to spread upward their branches on high 

" I hear their sweet voices soft echoed through bowers, 
" All mingled with harp-notes, that float 'mid the flowers 
48 All rising commingled a sweet flood of song, 
,'* While angels, low bending, the anthem prolong." 



LECTUKE II 



The writer of the Sermon next comes to Spiritualism by name, 
What is Spiritualism? It claims to be a science, based on phe- 
nomena witnessed and asserted to be facts by millions of living 
witnesses. Has Dr. Dwight witnessed these phenomena ? If he 
has not, why has he not ? He does not assert in this sermon, that 
he has seen any of the phenomena. Judging from the ignorance 
he manifests, in delineating the subject, we think he cannot have 
witnessed any of them. If he has not, he is not in a position to 
pass any sentence in the matter. He seems to be in the condition 
of a fanciful theorist, who, when he was informed, that certain facts 
had been observed, which conflicted with his theory, exclaimed, 
" So much the worse for the facts ! " 

The Dr. is not slow in his censure. If he has witnessed any 
of the facts, he should have told us, that we might be able to 
give greater weight to his testimony. If he has not seen any of 
the facts ; how does he fulfil that scripture which requires him to 
" Prove all things and hold fast that which is good ? " (1 Thess. 
v. 21.) He certainly is justly amenable to that other scripture, 
which commands us to judge not, lest we be judged. (Mat. 
vii. 1.) And if he has passed his sweeping sentence of condem- 
nation, without having seen or examined any of the facts of 
Spiritualism ; that is to say without looking at any of the evi- 
dence in the case ;' he has certainly violated that rule of Scripture, 
which commands us to " Judge not according to the appearance, 
but [to] judge righteous judgment." (John vii. 24.) His judg- 
ment is harsh and severe. It ought to be based on evidence. 

Does Dr. Dwight mean to deny all the distinguishing facts of 
Spiritualism ? We have carefully studied this sermon and have 
been puzzled to know. But on mature consideration, we think 



36 

he does mean to deny all the distinguishing facts of Spiritualism 
as a science. Three times at least he pronounces it all " a delu- 
sion." And on the last page, he says, " it is all earthly, all de- 
lusion, all to be shunned, and if any have been heedlessly led to 
participate in it, — as doubtless many have been — to be wholly re- 
nounced." Now if the facts are real, Spiritualism cannot be a 
delusion. True the Dr. admits on the previous page, that, "There 
is something constantly operating in the manipulations and ma- 
chinery of Spiritualism," which he terms " Mesmerism." 

But as in order to obtain the spiritual manifestations, it is never 
necessary to have any operator in ordinary Mesmerism present ; 
and as none of the higher and more interesting forms of these 
manifestations can ever be produced by any operator in Mesmer- 
ism, while in the material body ; it would seem, that Dr. Dwight 
does intend to deny all the distinguishing facts of Spiritualism, 
sweeping them all away under what he is pleased to term "trick- 
ing," " credulity," and " most contemptible and most mischiev- 
ous delusions." If he does not deny the main facts of Spiritual- 
ism altogether, he should follow the direction of John, who com- 
mands us to " try the spirits." He should not without examina- 
tion denounce Spiritualism as an " earthly, " contemptible," 
" mischievous" and " wicked delusion." 

Above all, he should not require his hearers to renounce it 
without examination ; but should preach to them the truth pro- 
claimed by Paul to " Prove all things and hold fast that which is 
good." Does Dr. Dwight feel, that the ground on which he 
stands, is caving away beneath his feet ? We do not feel afraid 
of investigation. We court examination of the facts. We say 
to you, go and hear Dr. Dwight ; then come and hear the speak- 
er, if no abler advocate presents himself. But above all, go and 
see the Spiritual manifestations. Examine the facts for your- 
selves. 

In denouncing Spiritualism, and in urging his hearers to "shun" 
it, passing it by without examination, he imitates those Pharisees, 
who, after Jesus had given the power of vision to the man that 
was born blind, found fault with him. Some of them did not 
believe concerning the man, that he had been blind and received 
his sight. They said it was all "trickery. "They denounced Jesus 
because he did not keep the statutes of Moses ; but violated the 
Sabbath day. They said, " Give God the praise ; we know that 
this man is a sinner." And when they repeated their inquiries to 
the man, to tell them how Jesus opened his eyes ; and the man 



37 

answered, that he had told them once already, and that they did 
not regard it ; and inquired of them, why they wished to hear it 
again ; and whether they would also become the disciples of Jesus; 
then these self-sufficient, bitter, persecuting Jews turned upon 
the man, who had received his sight, and reviled him, saying, 
Thou art his disciple, but we are Moses' disciples. We know, 
that God spake unto Moses ; as for this fellow, we know not 
whence he is. You were altogether born in sin ; you are totally 
depraved. You must not rely on your own senses ; but rely on 
our instructions and the Books of Moses. 

Substantially the same complaints were made by the Pharisees, 
who were the leading sect in the Jewish church of the spiritual 
manifestations and doctrines, that came through the mediumship 
of Jesus, as are now made by such men as Dr. Dwight of the 
manifestations through the mediums of the present age and the 
doctrines they teach. It is said they are Sabbath-breakers ; they 
violate the statutes of Moses ; that they are sinners ; that they 
eat and drink with sinners and keep their company ; and some- 
times it is said, that the phenomena are all " trickery," or all of 
the devil. 

If any person like the speaker, daring to follow the directions 
of Paul and John, feels it his duty, to examine into the facts and 
ascertain, where the truth lies ; he is told, that he is a poor, in- 
sane, deluded Spiritualist; a disciple of the mediums ; that he was 
" altogether born in sins ;" that he is totally depraved ; that he is 
wholly unworthy to look for himself; that it is his duty, "wholly 
to renounce" Spiritualism; to refuse to credit the evidence of his 
own senses ; and to rely on Moses as interpreted by them. 

But who have been some of these deluded Spiritualists in ages 
that have past? We can name only a few for want of time. 
Prominent among those in the Scripture history stand Abraham, 
Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Elijah, Elisha, Daniel, Peter, Paul, John, 
and Jesus Christ. All these were Spiritualists and mediums for 
spiritual communications. Among the Greeks we name Socrates, 
who was also a medium for spiritual intercourse, and Plato his 
disciple, who has given us the spiritual experience of Socrates. 
Among the Romans we name Cicero, who wrote a treatise on the 
subject. In the seventeenth century we name James 1st, King of 
England, under whose auspices we had perfected our common 
translation of the Bible^ Sir Mathew Hale, Chief Justice of the 
Common Pleas during the administration of Cromwell, George 
Fox, the founder of the sect called Quakers or Friends, William 



38 

Shakespeare, the immortal dramatist, Joseph Glanvil, a dis- 
tinguished writer on Theology and Philosophy, and Cotton Mather, 
a leading man among the Congregational ministers of New Eng- 
land. In the eighteenth century we name Joseph Addison, the 
most beautiful writer in the reign of Queen Anne, Sir William 
Blackstone, author of the Commentaries on the Common Law of 
England, Dr. Samuel Johnson, the most vigorous writer of his 
age, and compiler of the most valuable English Dictionary at that 
time, and Emanuel Swedenborg, the seer of the north and most 
distinguished man of his age. In the very opening of the nine- 
teenth century we name Rev. Abraham Cummings, then of North 
Yarmouth. He was one of the best and most learned of the Bap- 
tist ministers in Maine. All these were among the insane and 
deluded Spiritualists, and with efforts, the number might be 
increased to any desirable extent. 
In this sermon it is asserted, that, 

" If the Bible and the God of the Bible are not both a lie, Spiritualism in 
all its claims to supernatural communications, is the most contemptible, the 
most mischievous and one of the most wicked among existing delusions." 

In this Dr. D wight shows his utter ignorance of Spiritualism. 
The Spiritualists do not claim nor admit, that there is any thing 
supernatural about it. Supernatural signifies, " beyond or exceed- 
ing the laws of nature." The laws of nature are none other than 
the laws of God. So far from claiming that there is any thing 
supernatural in Spiritualism, we assert that God and his natural 
laws are uniform and unchangeable, and that nothing ever did or 
ever can occur in violation of these laws. Uneducated men are 
very apt to think that all those events, which cannot be explained 
by their limited philosophy, are supernatural. But we are taught 
by the principles of science as well as by the Scriptures, that God 
and the Divine laws are unchangeable. "I am the Lord; I 
change not." — (Mai. iii. 6.) "One jot or one tittle shall in no wise 
pass from the law, till all things shall have been accomplished," 
-— ecus av iravra yivrjrai. — -(Matt. V. 18.) 

We are informed, that while a Missionary to Southern Asia was 
relating to a man, in that remote region, some of the wonderful 
things recorded in our Bible, the man listened very attentively. 
But when at length, the Missionary told him that at one season of 
the year in his own country, water became so hard and solid, that 
men and horses could walk upon it, the man replied substantially, 
Hitherto I have been inclined to regard you as an honest man ; but 
now 1 know you lie. The fact transcended his philosophy. In 



39 

like manner when the wonderful things of the Scriptures, were 
presented to the mind of David Hume, they transcended his phi- 
losophy, and so he rejected them as fabulous. He did not stop 
to consider, that there might be other laws of nature, with which 
he was unacquainted; and so he rejected the evidence of the 
facts. Under like circumstances, weak and superstitious minds at 
once arrive at the conclusion, that the laws of God are reversed ; 
that the events are supernatural — miraculous. 

But the true Spiritualist or Christian philosopher will receive 
the facts, if the evidence be amply sufficient to prove them. He 
is aware how little he knows of the divine laws. If he knows of 
no laws, by which such phenomena can be produced, he will not 
infer, that the universe has got out of order ; that the laws of 
God are reversed ; nor that the facts occur contrary to those laws. 
He will reasonably suppose, that there may be and probably are 
other laws, with which he is unacquainted, and patiently wait, 
till he discovers them. 

The natural condition of water in Southern Asia is fluid, and it 
always remains fluid, unless artificial means are employed to con- 
vert it into ice. The conversion of water into ice, was to the 
mind of that Asiatic, just as much a miracle, as any that are 
recorded in the Bible. There is a law of God, however, accord- 
ing to which, when water is exposed to a greater degree of cold 
than 32° above zero, it is converted into ice. The Asiatic was 
unacquainted with this law ; and therefore, it seemed to him 
impossible, that water could ever become ice. 

In like manner, when Mons. Chabert, the Fire King, was in 
this country, he took Prussic Acid, the most deadly poison in 
nature. The poison of this acid, when concentrated, is so active, 
that one drop placed on the tongue of a dog, will kill him in a 
few seconds. To some uneducated persons, the fact, that Mons, 
Chabert took this deadly poison into his stomach without harm to 
his person, would seem supernatural or miraculous. But there i§ 
another law to be taken into the account. The chemist knows, 
that this acid has a strong affinity for earths and alkalies, and 
readily combines with them; and that when in combination 
with some other substances, it becomes perfectly harmless. Mons, 
Chabert took advantage of this other law. He guarded the sur= 
face of his gullett with a coating, and took his antidote in advance. 
The prussic acid was not allowed to come in contact with his cor- 
p oreal system, until it had been converted into a harmless salt. 
So it is with all the Spiritual manifestations. None of them 



40 

are supernatural or contrary to the Divine laws. They are all 
produced by laws, which are perfectly natural ; but which we 
have not been accustomed to observe. The same is true in rela- 
tion to the spiritual manifestations, recorded in the Scriptures . 
They were all produced in perfect conformity to the laws of nature 
or the Divine laws ; although in many cases the people might not 
have been acquainted with those laws. When Daniel was cast 
into the den of lions, it was in accordance with ordinary expecta- 
tion, that those ravenous hungry beasts should have torn him, 
limb from limb, and devoured his flesh. But when we find 
Daniel answering to the King : " My God hath sent his angel and 
shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me;" — (Dan. vi. 
22) we see another law was brought into exercise for the preserva- 
tion of Daniel's life. If the lions were confined and held by the 
power of spiritual beings, there is no reason to suppose, that there 
was any thing supernatural in the case. 

In like manner, when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were 
cast into the burning fiery furnace, it was in accordance with 
ordinary expectation, that their bodies would have been consumed 
in the fire. But we have learned from experience, that disembod- 
ied spirits or angels, under some circumstances, have means with- 
in their reach, to neutralize the power of fire, so that it will not 
consume in the ordinary way. It seems Nebuchadnezzar was a 
seeing medium — " a discerner of spirits," — and on this occasion 
had his spiritual vision opened, so that he saw one at least of the 
spirits, employed for the deliverance of the three worthies. The 
king, " answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, and walking 
in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt ; and the form of 
the fourth is like the Son of God." * * * Blessed be the 
God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his 
angel and delivered his servants that trusted in him," (Dan. iii. 
25, 28.) If the power of the fire was neutralized by the inter- 
position of spiritual beings, there is no reason to suppose, that 
there was anything supernatural in the case. 

In like manner, when Jesus attempted to walk on the water, it 
was in accordance with ordinary expectation, that he should sink. 
But he was constant in the exercise of prayer and faith, and lived 
in constant intercourse with angels from the world of spirits. It 
is written in the ninety-first Psalm: " He shall give his angels 
charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways." This was appli- 
cable to Christ. Although when this Scripture was presented to 
his mind ; as an argument to induce him presumptuously to cast 



41 

himself down from the pinnacle of the temple, he resisted the 
temptation ; yet on a subsequent occasion, relying upon this scrip- 
ture, in the exercise of supplication and faith, he committed him- 
self to the trust of the angels, and walked upon the sea. (Mat. 
xiv. 25.) If he had not been supported by the angels, he would 
have sunk in the water, like any other man. When we consider, 
that spiritual beings supported him, it becomes evident that there 
was nothing supernatural in the case. 

Dr. Dwight seems to suppose, we think, that the mode of in- 
tercourse with spiritual beings " has been lately discovered " as an 
original thing. The mode of communication by raps, was un- 
doubtedly discovered a few years since in Hydesville, New York, 
by the Fox family. The raps were not new ; they had been made 
occasionally for several years preceding in the same house ; but 
the first occupants did not establish a mode of communication, and 
failed to discover the cause. Many other modes of holding in- 
tercourse with angels or spirits, have been newly discovered since 
that time. But we do not suppose, that all or any of these were 
original discoveries. On the contrary, if there is any truth in 
history ; if the Bible is not all " a lie," the science of Spiritual- 
ism is founded in fact, and as old as the races of men. 

It was the faith of the world generally, civilized as well as 
heathen, from the earliest ages till the reign of Louis XIV in 
France. During that reign, the progress of materialism and in- 
fidelity, was so great, as well nigh to banish from the country all 
faith in present revelations or past revelations, and even all faith 
in the world of spirits and a future life. It had its effect in in- 
troducing into France during that reign, the two succeeding 
reigns, the reign of terror, and the republic, and until the advent 
of Napoleon, a gross system of immorality never equalled in the 
civilized world. This system of materialism and infidelity, pass- 
ed over into England and spread over most of Europe. From 
that system of materialism and infidelity during the first half of 
this century, there was a partial return to the doctrines of Spirit- 
ualism and Christianity. The churches have professed a belief in 
the Spiritualism of the past ; but denied the possibility of it in 
the present age. 

The present age of Spiritualism is nothing less than a full re- 
turn to the ancient faith of the Church and a complete revival of 
the doctrines of Christianity. There have been mediums for spir- 
itual intercourse in all or nearly all the ages of our race. During 



42 

the gross materialism and infidelity of past ages, mediums without 
the pale of the church, were persecuted 'and hung. And in the 
fierceness of their rage, the infidels of the seventeenth century, 
under the assumed garb of Christianity, persecuted unto death, 
by false accusation, many, who were not mediums at all. Among 
the ancients, aside from the mediums mentioned in the Jewish and 
Christian Scriptures, Socrates stands most prominent. He as- 
serted, that for many years he was accompanied by a demon, 
guardian spirit, or angel, who, whenever he was tempted to do 
anything wrong, cautioned him against it. 

There is a sea-captain belonging to this city, [Portland] whose 
name I am not at liberty to mention, who, as I am informed on 
good authority, has been an excellent medium for " the discerning 
of spirits," and the perception of spiritual sounds ever since 1818. 
He has frequently been permitted to see a daughter in the world 
of spirits, and hear her sing ; but so bitter was the spirit of ridi- 
cule against all, who believed in the doctrine of spiritual inter- 
course, that he kept his mediumship entirely to himself, until after 
the spiritual manifestations at Hydesville, through the Misses Fox, 
became public ; when he communicated his experience to two or 
three individuals. 

In the year 1855, I was informed by an aged lady of good char- 
acter, then in this city, that she had been a medium for the raps 
ever since 1820. The raps followed her ; but she established no 
communication with them, and never knew the cause, till after 
the spiritual manifestations, at Hydesville, became public. Doubt- 
less the same thing has been true with regard to many others. 

One of the most interesting cases of modern spiritual manifes- 
tations, was by the spirit of Mrs. Nelly Butler in the town of 
Sullivan in this State. What made it exceedingly interesting, 
was the extensive manner, in which she made herself manifest by 
the exhibition of her own form and voice. She first became man- 
ifest by raps and by conversation with her own natural voice in the 
year 1799 ; and by the exhibition of her own form in the year 
1800. Originally the principal medium was Lydia Blaisdell, who 
afterwards became Mrs. Lydia Butler. On the 13th of August 
1800, this spirit went in company with Mrs. Butler and forty 
seven other persons about half a mile. Rev. Abraham Cum- 
mings, who was uncle to the late Dr. Asa Cummings, wrote a 
history of the appearances of this spirit, and published it in 1826. 
He took and printed the testimony of thirty-one witnesses, who 
had seen or conversed with the spirit in the year 1800. Mr. 



43 

Cummings in his narrative says: "With all these witnesses I 
am intimately acquainted. I took these testimonies from their 
lips, for the most part, separately." After giving the testimony, 
Mr. Cummings says : " The above witnesses are exhibited not 
for the want of more, (for more than a hundred have seen the 
spectre, or have heard her words,) but because repetition is tedi- 
ous." The testimony, part or all of it was taken in the year 
1800. One witness, Dorcas Johnson, speaking of the manifesta- 
tion on the 13th of August, says : " There I heard and saw the 
spectre. Her voice was distinct from any other, and her music 
the most delightful, that I ever heard. When she walked with 
us, she moved without step-ping. And when we arrived at the 
house, by direction of the spectre, given to my brother, James 
Springer, and by him to the company in our hearing, we opened 
to the right and left, so that the spectre and Mrs. Butler passed 
together between our ranks. Then she vanished from my view 
and I saw her no more." The testimony of others is equally 
explicit. 

The principal medium soon died, I think in 1801. But the 
spirit continued to be seen afterwards. Mr. Cummings himself 
had the pleasure of seeing her form in July 1806. It appears 
that the character of each witness was good ; that the spirit was 
manifested on one occasion in the presence of twenty persons ; 
and on another occasion in the presence of forty-eight persons. 
Not all of these, however, saw her at those times. But most of 
those, who did not see her on one occasion, were permitted to have 
their vision opened and see her on other occasions. 

After waiting twenty-six years, Mr. Cummings felt it his duty 
to publish the history. He met with great opposition from his 
family and professed friends. They said he was insane. And as 
we are credibly informed, the persecution from his infidel friends, 
did not end in defaming his character by their preposterous 
charge of insanity ; but they proceeded to overt acts, and in 
imitation of the Catholics, burnt up the whole edition of his pam- 
phlet, except a few copies that he had previously scattered. I 
have been the more particular in relation to this case, because the 
manifestation by personal form and natural voice, was more extra- 
ordinary, than any other I have heard of, since the personal mani- 
festation of Jesus Christ. 

Among modern mediums the most prominent of all, stands 
Emanuel Swedenborg. He stands prominent, on account of his 
eminence and high position as a man of learning and science ; 



44 

also because he was in constant or daily intercourse with the 
spiritual world for twenty-eight years ; and also on account, of 
the mass and value of the spiritual communications, which he 
committed to writing, amounting to about thirty printed volumes. 
But very few have yet received the doctrines taught by or 
through him, or even read his works.' The world was so steeped 
in materialism and infidelity, that his doctrines have been gen- 
erally rejected without examination. By such self-sufficient and 
dogmatical persons, as the author of this sermon, he was denounc- 
ed as an insane man. Ten thousand such could not fill his place 
in the world. 

To say nothing of other countries ; in this country alone, at the 
present time, the mediums cannot number less than one hundred 
thousand. We think that the men and women, who have become 
believers in the doctrines of Spiritualism, with their children, 
would now number full three millions in the United States. 
Among them are included, Judges, Senators, Orators, Clergymen, 
Poets, Mathematicians, Chemists, and Philosophers. All these 
are denounced as insane by the whole host of infidels. Why 
should we be surprised at this ? When Paul gave an account of 
the spiritual manifestations, that he witnessed on his way to 
Damascus, to Festus and Agrippa, Festus charged him with 
insanity. (Acts xxvi. 12-24.) 

i But the most remarkable Spiritualist and medium, of whom we 
have any account, was Jesus of Nazareth. His whole history was 
surrounded by spiritual manifestations. Before he was begotten, 
an angel of the Lord announced his birth to his mother. (Luke i. 
26-38.) Before he was born, an angel gave notice to Joseph con- 
cerning him in a dream. Mat. i. 20-21.) Soon after his birth, an- 
gels announced his advent to shepherds in the open field, while 
they watched their flock by night. (Luke ii. 8-14.) While he 
was still an infant, an angel of the Lord gave warning to Joseph 
in a dream to flee with him into Egypt, in order to escape the fury 
of Herod. (Mat. ii. 13.) After the death of Herod, an angel of the 
Lord gave notice of it to Joseph in another dream, and that he 
might return into the land of Israel again. (Mat. ii. 19-20.) After 
his baptism, there came from heaven, a voice, apparently human, 
saying : " This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." 
(Mat. iii. 17.) At the close of the scene of temptation and trial, 
" angels came and ministered unto him." (Mat. iv. 11.) Moses 
and Elias came from heaven and held intercourse with him upon 
the mount of transfiguration. (Mat. xvii. 1-6. Mark ix. 2 7. 



45 • 

Luke ix. 28-35.) On this occasion, a cloud overshadowed them ; 
the face of Jesus " did shine as the sun, and his raiment was 
white as the light ; " and there came out of the cloud a voice, 
apparently human, saying, " This is my beloved Son, in whom I 
am well pleased : hear ye him." 

There is reason to believe, that angels assisted him in the per- 
formance of all his wonderful works. An angel from heaven ap- 
peared unto him in the garden, strengthening him, shortly before 
his arrest. (Luke xxii. 43.) He taught the doctrine of special 
providence by the interposition of angels ; declared, that guard- 
ian spirits were assigned to little children; (Mat. xviii. 10.) and 
that he could pray to the Father, and that he would presently give 
him more than twelve legions of angels. (Mat. xxvi. 53.) 

At the time of his death, he rose out of his dead body, and in 
the spirit, manifested himself by form and voice on the third day. 
He made frequent manifestation of himself to his disciples, both 
by form and voice; and Paul declares, that on one occasion " he 
was seen, of above five hundred brethren at once." (1 Cor. xv. 
6.) To his apostles, " He showed himself alive after his passion, 
by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and 
speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God." 
(Acts i. 3,) There is no evidence, that Jesus was ever seen after 
the resurrection, by any of the unbelieving Jews, except Saul of 
Tarsus, who forthwith became a most devoted believer and faith- 
ful disciple. 

Notwithstanding all the evidence of the resurrection of Christ 
from or out of his body, and the manifestation of himself to 
his disciples, the rest of the Jews persistently denied it, and 
have continued to deny it unto the present day, in the same man- 
ner as Dr. D wight and his friends deny the spiritual manifesta- 
tions of this age. The Pharisees said of Jesus, "This fellow doth 
not cast out demons, but by Beelzebub, the prince of the demons." 
(Mat. x. 24.) "If they have called the master of the house 
Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of the house- 
hold ?" (Mat. x. 25.) Jesus was not only surrounded and 
assisted by angels in the performance of his wonderful works ; but 
he asserted that he was a medium for God the Father, and that the 
Father communicated through him directly. " The words that I 
speak unto you, I speak not of myself: but the Father, that 
dwelleth in me, he doeth the works." (John xiv. 10.) The mem- 
bers of the Jewish Church denied his claim. They asserted, that 
he was a Samaritan and had a demon. (John vii. 20 ; viii, 48.) 



• 46 

Since the whole body of the Jewish Church denied, that Christ 
was a medium for God or the good angels ; charged him with gross 
sins ; by way of reproach, reviled him as a Samaritan ; alleged, 
that he was possessed by a demon or evil spirit ; called him Beel- 
zebub, the prince of the demons ; and denied that he rose out of the 
dead and manifested himself to his disciples ; since they charged 
the foremost and most faithful of his apostles with insanity ; we 
need not be surprised at any defamatory words, which the members 
of the present church may speak of mediums and Christian Spirit- 
ualists at the present day. We need not be surprised, when they 
treat us as " deluded," or charge us with " insanity ; " nor when 
they charge us with gross sins or total depravity ; nor when they 
deny, that our departed friends have risen out of their dead bodies 
and manifested themselves unto us. We need not be surprised, 
that they do all this without examination and in entire ignorance 
of all the facts. " The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit than 
seven men that can render a reason." (Prov. xxvi. 16.) 

Leading men in the Jewish Church, brought false accusations 
against Christ, charging him with Blasphemy in claiming to be 
God ; and with treason to the Roman Emperor. They arrested 
him and gave him a mock trial ; condemned him as a malefactor ; 
derided him; smote him; spit upon him; pierced him with a 
spear ; and finally put him to death by crucifixion. Most of his 
apostles suffered in the same manner. 

In later times, it has been no uncommon thing for leading men 
in the Christian Church, to arrest, try, and condemn the most 
virtuous citizens of the age for the crime of Heresy, and put them 
to death in a manner still more barbarous, by burning them alive. 
There is bigotry enough in the Church to treat Spiritual Christians 
in the same manner to-day. But we see evidence of progress. 
Thanks be to God, there is at length so much of Christian Civi- 
lization outside of the Church, even if there were none inside of it, 
that the sect of Christian Bigots cannot carry their malicious 
designs into execution, and dare not attempt it. So they are all 
consummated in slander and vituperation, as witnessed by the 
sermon under consideration. 

In his virulent attack upon Spiritualism, Dr. Dwight twice 
represents that nothing " involving true science, acute discrimina- 
tion, or practical knowledge, is ever imparted " from the spirits. 
If this were so, although it would be a discouraging fact, it would 
by no means, disprove the truth of Spiritualism. No person can 
be competent to pronounce this sweeping sentence of eondemna- 



47 

tion, unless he is a man of true science himself, nor unless he has 
read all the printed volumes on the subject. How is it with Dr. 
Dwight ? The number of printed volumes exceeds one hundred. 
Has he read them all or even one half of them ? If he has read 
them, he has been quite busy. If he has not read them all, he 
could not honestly nor competently pronounce the sentence he 
did. 

But in the light of this sermon, how does the author of it, 
show himself to be posted in matters of science ? We hesitate 
not to say, that he shows himself to be grossly ignorant, in Si- 
derial Astronomy, in Anthropology, and in Biblical Science. 

First, he represents, that the distance of " the inhabitants of 
the fixed star Sirius, or of those, who occupy the nebula in the 
belt of the constellation Orion, is so vast," " that a beam of light 
moving two hundred thousand miles in a second," cannot shoot 
over the intervening space, " until after the lapse of sixty thou- 
sand years." This is all assumption and based on no ascertained 
facts. It must have been taken from some of those lecturers or 
writers on Astronomy, who in order to gratify the taste of their 
hearers or readers for the marvellous, launch out into the regions 
of poetry and fancy, and state upon certain conditions, the time, it 
will take light, from the most distant stars, that can be seen 
through Lord Rosse's telescope, to reach the earth. 

The conditions are these : that all the stars are of equal mag- 
nitude in fact ; that they all shine with equal splendor ; and that 
the rays of light pass on continuously through infinite space, 
without any of them being lost or absorbed in the etherial medium, 
through which they move. Now there is no reason to believe, 
that any of these conditions are true in fact. All analogies are 
against it. Consequently all inferences, drawn therefrom, fall to 
the ground. 

We will speak first as to magnitude. Our sun is a star, and 
as such appears to all those, who reside beyond the limits of the 
solar system. By means of the photometer, we can compare the 
light of one star with that of another star, with that of the full 
moon, or with that of the sun. So, if we can ascertain the dis- 
tance of any one star, admitting, that all the stars shine with 
equal splendor, and that the rays of light continually spread into 
infinite space, without any loss or absorption, in passing through 
the medium, by comparing it's light with the light of the sun, 
whose diameter is known, we can ascertain the diameter of the 
star and the contents of its disk. 



48 

Now the distance of one star, a double star, or rather of two 
stars with light blending into one, it is agreed by Astronomers, 
has been determined with sufficient care and accuracy to rely upon 
as a basis of argument. After careful observations for three 
years continuously, the late Prof. Bessel of Koningsburg, deter- 
mined, that the double star 61 in the constellation of the Swan, 
was the point of an angle subtended by the diameter of the earth's 
orbit of only '348 of one second of arc. Prof. Peters of the 
Pulkova Observatory, after careful observations, determined the 
angle to be about the same. Further observations tend to con- 
firm the result of Prof. Bessel. 

We may therefore consider it settled, that those two stars are 
56,410,975,924,725 miles from the earth. Light, moving with 
the same velocity, with which it comes from Jupiter's satellites, 
would come from the sun in eight minutes, thirteen seconds, and 
three-tenths of a second. This velocity is very nearly one 
hundred and ninety-two thousand miles per second. And if the 
direct light from these two stars in the Swan, comes continuously 
with the same velocity, as the refracted light from Jupiter and 
his satellites, it will reach the earth in nine years, ninety-three 
days, seven hours, twenty-five minutes, and forty-five seconds. 

It is generally supposed, that the distance of these two stars, 
has been determined with very great exactness. Still it would 
be nothing strange, if Prof. Bessel's calculation should be a 
billion of miles wide from the truth, or even more. If the dis- 
tance of these stars as ascertained by Bessel, be taken as correct, 
then by comparing their light with the light of the sun, we can 
determine, that neither of them, can have a diameter much 
exceeding one-quarter of the sun's diameter ; and neither of them 
can have a disk much exceeding one-sixteenth of the sun's disk ; 
unless there is a loss or absorption of a portion of their light by 
the medium through which it comes. Thus is it shown, that one 
star difFereth from another star in magnitude, as well as in glory. 

The same thing would be inferred by analogy from the plan- 
ets. No two of the planets are of equal magnitude. Jupiter is 
about fourteen hundred times as large as the earth. The earth is 
about fifteen times as large as Mercury. While Mercury is a 
thousand times as large as some of the asteroids. 

Neither is there any reason to believe, that the stars all radiate 
from their surfaces equal quantities of light, or shine with the 
same intensity of splendor. One star shines with a bluish light ; 
another with a red and fiery light ; and another with a smooth 



49 

white light. So also with the planets. Mars appears fiery red ; 
Venus shines with a beautiful white light ; while Jupiter presents 
a disk filled with belts or clouds in his atmosphere. The infer- 
ence is, that the stars shine with unequal degrees of effulgence. 

Nor is there any reason to believe, that the rays from a star 
pass on continuously through infinite space, without any loss or 
absorption of light, by the medium through which they pass. 
When beams of light pass through glass, some portion of the 
light is absorbed. It has been estimated, that four-tenths of the 
light, received on the object glass of Herschel's four feet teles- 
cope, were lost in the process of reflection and transmission. 
Upon principles of analogy, it seems reasonable to suppose, that 
some portion of a beam of light is lost or absorbed in process of 
transmission for billions of miles through any medium whatever, 
however etherial or rare. 

There is no mode, by which we can ascertain, how long it will 
take light to come from any given star, whose distance is 
unknown. The speaker has a letter from a gentleman, whom he 
regards as the best Mathematician and Astronomer in the United 
States, dated April 24th, 1857, in which he says: "With the 
exception of 61 Cygni and a Lyrse, I cannot see, that the paral- 
lax of any star is determined, with sufficient certainty or precision 
for a general basis of argument." It cannot be pretended, that 
the parallax of a Lyrse, has been determined with any great 
certainty. M. Struve determined from his observations, that the 
parallax of a Lyrae, was '261 of one second of arc, which would 
give a distance, that could be passed over by light in twelve years 
and one-third. Various other angles of parallax have been 
given for this star, some of which are so small, as to increase its 
distance, so that it would take thirty years for light to come down 
to us. The whole matter is very uncertain. 

Different Astronomers have made their observations and assigned 
a parallax for several other stars. But there appears to be no 
other star, whose distance is ascertained " with sufficient certainty 
or precision for a general basis of argument." With regard to 
Sirius, Mon. d'Assas, a French Astronomer, assigned to it a par- 
allax of l /! -24, which would place it so near, that light would 
come over the intervening space in two years and sixty- eight 
hundredths of a year. While Prof. Henderson of Edinburgh, 
assigned the same star a parallax of only *23 of a second. This 
angle would remove the star to such a distance, that its light 
could not reach us under nearly fourteen years. The speaker 
4 



50 

thinks that no reliance is to be placed on the observations of 
either of them. To show how extremely uncertain, this matter 
of ascertaining the parallax of the stars, is ; we would state, that 
Mr. Faye assigned to star 1830 of the catalogue of Groombridge 
a parallax of l'^OS, which, would give it a distance, over which 
light would pass in about three years. While Otto Struve 
assigned the same star a parallax of only *03 of one second, 
which would give it a distance, over which light could not come 
in less than about one hundred and eight years. Thus one 
Astronomer assigned the same star, a distance thirty-six times as 
great as the other. 

With regard to the length of time, it would take light to reach 
us from the nebula in the belt of the constellation of Orion, we 
have no means of knowledge. It may take fifty years, or a hun- 
dred years, or a thousand years, or sixty thousand years, or 
millions of years. At present, it is one of the secrets that belong 
to God. 

Dr. D wight says : 

" It is entirely a secret of God, how spirit and matter in the form of the 
human body are united so as to constitute but one conscious being." 

He seems to suppose, that spirit and matter constitute the whole 
man, and herein betrays his ignorance of the science of Anthro- 
pology, and not less of the Scriptures. The science of Psychol- 
ogy has rendered it certain, that the mind or soul of man is 
distinct from his body and spirit alike ; that the spiritual part of 
man, is either fluid or analogous to a fluid, of which portions can 
be communicated from one person to another ; and that this 
spiritual communication may be produced by the will of the 
operator. 

This is also in accordance with the Scriptures. " The Lord 
God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into 
his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." 
(Gen. ii. 7.) Here we have the body or dust, the spirit or life, 
which pervades the whole body, and is consequently in the form 
of the body, and the mind or soul. Again the writer of the 
Epistle to the Hebrews declares, that " The word of God is quick 
and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing 
even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit." (Heb. iv. 12.) 
In the Book of Job, Elihu declares, that " there is a spirit in 
man ; and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understand- 
ing. (Job xxxii. 8.) Again it is related, that Christ laid down 



51 

the royal law as follows : " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God 
with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, 
and with all thy strength." (Mark xii. 30.) Although the 
writers of the Scriptures were not philosophers ; we "believe, they 
every where represent, that man is composed of three parts at 
least, the body or earth; the spirit or life ; and the mind or soul. 

That all men, as to their bodies, are earthy and born of the 
earth, is evident to all. For these, at length, are disorganized, 
return to the earth, and again become a part of the common mass. 
But as to his life or spirit and his mind or soul, man is a Divine 
offspring, begotten of God. And so the Scriptures teach: "For 
we are also his offspring." (Acts xvii. 28.) This declaration of 
Paul was quoted from a Greek poet. That, as to his mind or 
soul, man is a child of God, is held by the writers of the New 
Testament in common with the poets and philosophers of the 
Heathen world. 

Not only so, but the New Testament asserts, that man, by 
nature, is also a child of God, as to his life or spirit. The Divine 
Essence is an immense ocean of Spirit, that flows through and 
fills the universe. This doctrine is fully asserted in the Scrip- 
tures : 

" Whither shall I go from thy spirit ? or whither shall I flee from thy 
presence ? If I ascend into Heaven, thou art there ; if I descend into 
Sheol (Hades) thou art there." (Psalm, cxxxix. 7, 8.) "Am la God at 
hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off? Can any hide himself in 
secret places, that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do not 1 fill heaven 
and earth? saith the Lord," (Jei xxiii. 23, 24.) "And it shall come to 
pass afterwards, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh ; and your sons 
and your daughters shall prophesy ; your old men shall dream dreams ; 
your young men shall see visions ; and also upon the servants and upon the 
handmaids in those days will 1 pour out my spirit." ( Joel ii. 28, 29.) 

This infinite ocean of Spirit or Life, is the body of God, and 
He imparts a portion of it to every man. Hence Jesus taught : 
" For as the Father hath life in Himself, so hath He given to the 
Son to have life in himself." (John v. 26.) And Paul, speaking 
to the Colossians, said: "Your life is hid with Christ in God." 
(Col. iii. 3.) 

Again Dr. Dwight shows his gross ignorance of Biblical Science. 
This appears throughout the whole sermon. It has been indirect- 
ly proved, by showing that he misrepresented the four passages 
he cited from the New Testament, in his attempt to prove, that 
" the Invisible World is absolutely secret with God." It has 



52 

also been shown by a number of texts cited by the speaker to 
show in opposition to the Dr.'s view, that revelation was not to 
be closed up with the Books of the Bible, but was to continue and 
be progressive. It is also shown, by the fact, that the Dr. has 
wholly ignored those numerous texts, cited to prove, that Abra- 
ham, Jacob, Moses, Daniel, Jesus, Peter, Paul, and John were 
Spiritualists and Mediums for spiritual communications. It ap- 
pears also from the fact, that he has wholly overlooked those 
passages just cited to show, that man in his construction, consists 
of three parts, earth or matter, spirit or life, and mind or soul. 

This is an important point. For the moment, it is seen, that 
besides his mind or soul, and the matter or earth of his body, 
man has a spiritual form of organized life, correspondent to the 
exterior form of his material body, that fact well nigh establishes the 
doctrine of the Spiritualists as to the- resurrection, namely, that 
the resurrection is spiritual ; and that the soul and spirit, which 
constitute the essential and eternal man, rise from or out of the 
dead at the time of death. 

Again the Dr. shows his gross ignorance of Biblical science in 
the following passage : 

" Neither good angels, for they would utterly loathe the whole matter 3 
nor bad angels, for God will not permit them thus directly to act in the 
affairs of men ; nor departed saints, for they are at rest and in transport 
with their Saviour; nor lost spirits, for they are in prison ; — are active here.'''' 

In this passage, it is asserted by implication at least, that the 
angels are an order of beings distinct from men. There is no 
foundation in the Scriptures for the assertion of any such doctrine. 
The word "Ayye\os means a messenger. The winds, waves, flames 
of fire, and other forces in nature of the like kind, being means 
or messengers of God, for the execution of his will, are, in Scrip- 
ture by a figure of speech, frequently called angels. The term is 
also often applied to men in the material body. Thus in the 
Book of Revelation, the pastors of the seven churches in Asia, 
are called angels. So the Gospels are called Evangels or good 
messages ; and the writers, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, 
Evangelists or good angels ; because they proclaim a good mes- 
sage from God to the world of mankind. 

The term is also applied to departed spirits in numerous instan- 
ces. The angel, who, as a messenger of Jesus Christ, dictated 
the Book of Revelation to John, as we have already seen, inform- 
ed the Apostle in the ninth verse of the 22d chapter, that he was 
one of John's brethren, the prophets ; that is to say, that he was 



53 

the departed spirit of a man. When Moses and Elias visited 
Jesus in the presence of Peter, James, and John, upon the mount', 
of transfiguration, they were certainly messengers from the world 
of spirits, and so angels, but they did not lose their identity nor 
cease to be departed human spirits. 

In the account of the communication, which Gabriel made to 
Mary, the mother of Jesus, Luke calls him " an angel from God." 
When he was sent to Daniel, as a messenger to communicate 
information to him, he was represented as " a man." By this we 
are to understand, that he was the departed spirit of a man, and 
not a man in his material body ; because it is said, " that he was 
caused to fly swiftly." (Daniel ix. 21.) This could not have 
been done by man, while dwelling in his gross external body. 

In his account of the resurrection of Jesus, Matthew says, "the 
angel of the Lord descended and rolled back the stone from the 
door and sat upon it." (Mat. xxviii. 2.) Mark says, that "Mary 
Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, entering 
into the sepulcher, saw a young man, sitting on the right side, 
clothed in a long white garment," who- delivered unto them a 
message concerning the promised appearance of Jesus, (xvi. 
1-7.) So, though he was a man or the spirit of a man, he was 
also an angel or messenger from the world of spirits, and might 
have been the same one who rolled back the stone. Luke says, 
the women " entered in the sepulcher and found not the body of 
the Lord Jesus, and as they were much perplexed thereabout, 
behold, two men stood by them in shining garments," and deliver- 
ed a message unto them concerning Jesus, (xxiv. 1-8.) So 
though they were men, they must also have been angels and 
messengers from the world of spirits. John says: "Mary stood 
without at the sepulcher weeping : and seeth two angels in white 
sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where Jesus 
had lain." (John xx. 11,12.) These also delivered a message, 
and very likely were the same, as the two, of whom Luke speaks, 
as " men in shining garments." 

It is recorded in the eighteenth chapter of Genesis, that the 
Lord appeared unto Abraham, by three men, in the plains of 
Mamre, who delivered unto him a very important message from 
the world of spirits concerning the birth of Isaac, the child of 
promise. They are not expressly called angels, but they must 
have been such, notwithstanding they were men, for they brought 
a highly important message from God. The angels, who were 
the messengers of God, to bring Lot out of Sodom and destroy 



54 

the cities of the plain, were men, that is to say, the departed 
3 pirits of men, and repeatedly so called in the nineteenth chapter of 
Genesis. These passages are sufficient to show, that except when 
the word angels, is figuratively used to represent winds, flames of 
fire, and other inanimate forces of nature, it is generally applied 
in the Scriptures, to men in the body or to the spirits of men 
departed from the body. 

There is no evidence, that it is ever applied to any other and 
higher order of beings than men. There is no evidence, that 
God has created any higher order of beings than men. There is, 
in the account of the creation in Genesis, negative evidence, that 
he has not. He created the mineral world, the vegetable world, 
and the animal world, including beasts, birds, fishes, and insects, 
creeping things and flying things, and finally man. There the 
account of creation stops. Now if God had really created a 
higher order of beings than man, an account so minute, as that 
in Genesis, would not, we think, have omitted the most important 
link in the whole chain of created beings. 

By way of answer to this line of argument, the objector may 
refer to the use of the word in the Book of Hebrews. This Book 
is anonymous. The unknown writer uses this language : " Thou 
madest him [man] a little lower than the angels." ( Heb. ii. 7.) 
The writer quoted this text from the Septuagint translation of 
the eighth Psalm and fifth verse. The Septuagint translation was 
made by Jews, very little acquainted with Greek, and is a very 
poor translation. In this instance, the Hebrew word translated 
" angels," is enri?^ ;; which signifies — God, a god, the gods, or 
departed spirits. It is the same word which is translated God in 
the first verse in Genesis, and is not properly translated angels, 
as representing an order of beings intermediate between God and 
departed spirits. The great Hebrew Lexicographer, Gesenius, 
one of the first Hebrew scholars in the world, if not the first, 
says, the word is improperly translated, angels, in this very pas- 
sage. 

Dr. Adam Clark says, " literally translated it is : Thou hast 
made him less than God." We think the translation should be : 
Thou hast made him little in comparison with God ; or perhaps, 
Thou hast made him a little lower than a god. 

The writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews, was misled by the 
erroneous translation of the seventy, to suppose that God had 
created a higher order of rational beings than man, and in several 
instances uses the word in that way. Dr. D wight seems to labor 



55 

under the same delusion. It may however be considered as estab- 
lished, that all the angels in the world of spirits, appertaining to 
the earth, whether good or bad, are the spirits of men or men in 
the spiritual form. And in every instance, where angels or 
demons, who in the Scripture use of the term, are bad angels, are 
represented as communicating with men, those angels or demons 
are also departed spirits or men in the spiritual form. 

On what authority then does Dr. Dwight assert, that neither 
good angels, nor bad angels, nor departed saints, nor lost spirits 
are active here ? Does he deny that scripture, which asserts, that 
the Book of Revelation was dictated to the Apostle John by an 
angel, and that the same angel was the spirit of one of the 
prophets ? Does he deny those three scriptures, which assert, 
that Moses and Elias came from the world of spirits and held 
intercourse with Jesus on the mount of transfiguration? 

Does he deny that scripture, which asserts, that Samuel came 
from the world of spirits and held intercourse with Saul through 
the spiritual medium at En-dor? (1 Sam. xxviii. 7-20.) Does he 
deny that scripture, which asserts, that the man Gabriel came 
from the world of spirits and held intercourse with the prophet 
Daniel, and gave him a message ? Does he deny that scripture, 
which asserts, that Gabriel was an angel of God, and came from 
the world of spirits, and made the annunciation of the Messiah 
to the mother of Jesus ? Does he deny that scripture, which 
asserts, that two angels of the Lord, came from the world of 
spirits, as messengers and agents for the overthrow of Sodom and 
the other cities of the plain, and that they were men in the spirit- 
ual form or the spirits of men, and that they held intercourse 
with Lot? Does he deny that scripture, which asserts, that the 
Lord appeared unto Abraham by three men in the plains of 
Mamre ; that these men were in the spiritual form ; that they 
were messengers from God or angels ; and that they came and 
held intercourse with the father of the faithful, and announced 
the birth of Isaac, the child of promise ? Does he deny that 
scripture, which asserts, that Jacob had a spiritual manifestation 
presented to him by night in a dream, and saw a ladder that reach- 
ed from earth to heaven, and the angels of God ascending and 
decending upon it? (Gen. xxviii. 12-15.) Does he deny that 
scripture, which asserts, that on his return from Padan-aram, Jacob 
had another manifestation from the world of spirits by night, and 
wrestled with a man, who was a messenger or angel of God, until 
the break of day, and that God speaking by this angel or man in 



56 

the spiritual form, conferred upon Jacob, the name of Israel to 
signify, that as a prince, he had power with God and man and 
had prevailed ? (Gen. xxxii. 24-28.) Does he deny that scripture, 
which asserts, that an angel of the Lord came from the world ot 
spirits, and manifested himself in Horeb, and that God by means 
of this angel held intercourse with Moses from the burning bush ? 
(Ex. iii. 2.) Does he deny those three scriptures, which assert,' 
that at the close of the temptation of Christ, angels came and 
ministered unto him ? Does he deny that scripture, which asserts, 
that shortly before the arrest of Jesus, while his soul was in great 
agony of distress at the bitter cup, that lay before him, an angel 
appeared unto him from heaven, strengthening him? Does he 
deny that scripture, which asserts, that guardian angels are 
assigned to little children, and that in heaven they do ever behold 
the face of the Father, that is to say, such clear appearances and 
manifestations, as the Father is pleased to make of himself through 
his works in heaven ? Does he deny that scripture, which asserts, 
that Lazarus, the beggar, was surrounded by angels at the time of 
his death, and that they conducted him to his proper location in 
the world of spirits, in the immediate vicinity of Abraham? Does 
he deny that scripture, which asserts in the form of interrogatory, 
that the good angels are all ministering spirits, sent forth to min- 
ister to them, who shall be heirs of salvation? (Heb. i. 14.) 
Does he deny, that the angels, messengers, or spirits of men, re- 
ferred to in these scriptures, were all good spirits ? If Dr. Dwight 
admits these assertions of Scripture, and that the angels or spirits, 
referred to in them, were all good angels or spirits, then he must 
admit, that the good angels or spirits, so far from loathing the 
practice of holding intercourse with men in the body, delight in 
it, and have in the various ages of the world, freely indulged in 
it. But if the Dr. rejects these Scriptures, we should be glad to 
know why and on what ground ? and whether, he receives any of 
that portion of the Scripture, which asserts the doctrine of spirit- 
ual intercourse with man in the material body ? If not, he must 
reject nearly the whole of the Bible. For the Bible is full of the 
doctrine of spiritual intercourse, in one form or another from the 
beginning to the end of it. Whatever Dr. Dwight may think, the 
Spiritualists receive these Scriptures and these doctrines, being 
fully satisfied of their truth. 

Does Dr. Dwight deny those scriptures, which assert the doctrine 
of demons ? and the possession of men by demons ? Does he 
deny that scripture, which asserts, that Jesus was met in the 



57 

country of the Gadarenes, by a man, who being a medium for spir- 
itual intercourse, fell into the hands of a legion of evil demons, who 
drove him from the habitations of men to dwell among the tombs ; 
who received from the demons such an infusion of strength into 
his corporeal system, that no man could bind him and confine 
him with chains, because he was able by this infusion of great 
strength, to break the fetters and chains, with which he was bound, 
and pluck them asunder ; and that he was driven by the spirits to 
roam in the mountains, crying and cutting himself with stones ? 
Does he deny the additional scripture, which asserts, that Jesus 
expelled those evil demons and drove them into a herd of two 
thousand swine ; and that the swine were forced into the sea and 
choked ? (Mark v. 1-14.) Does he deny that scripture, which as- 
serts, that Mary Magdalene was a medium, and held in control 
by seven evil demons, and that Jesus cast them out ? (Luke viii. 2.) 
Does he deny that scripture, which asserts, that on a certain occas- 
ion there was a man in the synagogue, who had the spirit of an 
unclean demon, that cried out, " Saying, let us alone ; what have 
we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth ? art thou come to 
destroy us? I know thee, who thou art, the holy one of God;" 
and that Jesus commanded the demon to come out of the man ; 
and that the spirit threw the man down, and came out of him 
without hurting him? (Luke iv. 33-35.) Does he deny that 
scripture, which asserts, that on a certain occasion, a man brought 
his only child to Jesus, and informed him, that his son was often 
seized by a spirit, and would suddenly cry out ; and that th e 
spirit would tear him, so that he would foam at the mouth ; and 
after bruising the child, he was with difficulty, induced to leave 
him ; and that the disciples could not cast out the demon for want 
of sufficient faith, and that he was cast out by Jesus ? (Luke ix. 
38-42.) Does he deny that scripture, which asserts, that when 
Jesus was in the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, a Canaanitish woman 
brought him her daughter, who was greviously vexed with a 
demon, and that when Jesus saw her faith, he cast out the spirit ? 
(Mat. xv. 21-28.) Does he deny that scripture, which asserts, 
that on a certain occasion, when Jesus was in Capernaum, the 
people brought unto him many, that were possessed by demons , 
that is to say, many mediums, that had fallen under the control o f 
evil spirits, and that Jesus cast out the spirits with his word ? 
(Mat. viii. 16.) Does he deny those scriptures of the evangelists, 
which assert, that Jesus communicated to the Apostles power to 
cast out demons or evil spirits? (Mat. x. 8. Luke x. 17-19.) 



58 



Does he deny that scripture, in the twenty-second chapter of the 
first Book of Kings, wherein it is asserted, that in the days of 
Ahab, a council was held in the world of spirits ; and an inquiry 
was made to know, who would persuade Ahab, that he might go 
up to Ramoth-gilead and fall ; and that after various proposi- 
tions had been made, a spirit came forth and said he would per- 
suade him ; that he would go forth and be a lying spirit in the 
mouth of all Ahab's prophets ; and that this spirit did go forth 
and become a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets, so that 
he was deceived and went up to Ramoth-gilead and fell ? Does 
he deny, that the demons, angels, or human spirits, referred to in 
these scriptures, were all evil spirits or angels ? If Dr. Dwight 
admits these assertions of Scripture, and that the demons, angels, 
or spirits referred to in them, were all bad spirits or angels, then 
he must admit, it is not true, that bad angels or lost spirits are 
not active here, because God will not permit them, thus directly 
to act in the affairs of men. But whatever Dr. Dwight may 
think; whether he receives these scriptures or not ; the Spirit- 
ualists receive them all, and fully believe, they establish the fact, 
that bad angels or the spirits of bad men, can communicate with 
men in the material body, as well as good angels or the spirits of 
good men 

The speaker thinks he has now maintained his proposition, 
namely, that Dr. Dwight, in the sermon under examination, has 
shown himself grossly ignorant in Siderial Astronomy, in Anthro- 
pology and in Biblical Science. This being the case, he is in no 
wise competent, to declare, that " nothing involving true science, 
acute discrimination, or practical knowledge, is ever imparted 
from the spirits," even if he has read all their books. 

In tracing out this argument, to show the ignorance of Dr. 
Dwight in Biblical science, we have in an incidental manner, from 
the readings of the Bible, established the fact, that both good 
and evil spirits can and do communicate with men in the form. 
As to some of the modes of spiritual intercourse, it seems to the 
speaker, the subject is well nigh exhausted, and the argument 
full to repletion already. 

If Dr. Dwight should attempt to turn this argument by insist- 
ing, that the good angels and evil angels did formerly communi- 
cate with men, in the times of the Scripture history, but that they 
cannot now, he is already answered. There is nothing laid down 
plainer in the Scriptures, than the unchangeableness of God and 
the Divine Law. If it was ever permitted in accordance with the 



59 

Divine Law, that good spirits and evil spirits should communicate 
with men in the material body, the same law permits it now. 
Moreover, as we have already seen, while in his earthly pilgrim- 
age, Christ declared, that the spiritual gifts, then in the church, 
should continue to his disciples after his departure to the world 
of spirits ; and that their power to exercise those gifts should 
increase ; also that those gifts, then in the church, should contin- 
ue to others, who should believe through the preaching of the 
gospel. And in point of fact, as we have before shown from 
Ecclesiastical History, they did continue in the church for about 
three hundred years arcer the crucifixion. The same is taught by 
the preacher, who says : " That, which hath been, is now ; and 
that, which is to be, hath already been ; and God re quire th that 
which is past." ( Eccl. iii. 15.) The past reproduces itself in 
the future. If the spiritual manifestations, recorded in the Bible, 
ever occurred, as there set forth, we had reason to expect similar 
manifestations again. 

Having shown the incompetency of Dr. Dwight to declare, that 
" nothing involving true science, acute discrimination, or practical 
knowledge is ever imparted from the spirits ; " we now frankly 
admit, that a very large proportion of the communications from 
the spirits, are of a low order, and except that they all alike speak 
the doctrine of a future life and immortality for every man in the 
same character he elaborates for himself here ; they add nothing 
to true science or practical knowledge. And if it were not so, 
we could never believe, that the communications come from the 
departed spirits of men. How is it with men in this life ? Nine- 
teen-twentieths of them add nothing or next to nothing to true 
science or useful knowledge. As they go into the world of spirits, 
the same identical persons, they were here, in every respect, except 
the material body, we conclude, that very few of them, will be 
able to add anything to our stock of knowledge. 

But while this is true of a large majority of the spirits, it is by 
no means true of all, as asserted by Dr. Dwigjit. In the month 
of May, 1855, a spirit, speaking through Miss Emma F. Jay, then 
in this city, gave three sermons of rare merit. One of these was 
upon the controverted text : " There are three, that bare record 
in heaven.'* For one, the speaker must say, that the peroration 
of that discourse, in which the Father was compared to the nat- 
ural sun ; the Son to the moon, that receives and reflects the light 
of the natural sun ; and the Spirit to the infinitude of stars, 



60 

scattered through space ; was delivered in the sublimest strain of 
eloquence, that ever he heard from mortal lips. All the lectures, 
delivered through her organs in this city, have been extremely 
beautiful, and the speaker doubts not, extremely useful in advanc- 
ing the cause of truth. The Rev. R. P. Ambler was employed 
here last autumn for ten weeks, and the discourses delivered 
through him, were highly artistic and finished. The language 
employed, in every instance, was ornate and chaste ; the logic 
consecutive and close ; and the manner of delivery, unsurpassed. 

On the evening of the Sabbath, when Dr. D wight delivered 
this discourse the first time, it was criticijfed and answered from 
the scientific plain, by a spirit through Miss A. W. Sprague, then 
in this city. This young lady, we understand, is only about twen- 
ty-five years of age. But in point of acute discrimination, close 
consecutive reasoning, and as as a matter of pure science, this 
effort from the world of spirits, was, in our judgment, as much 
superior to the sermon under consideration, as a man is superior 
to a child. Has Dr. Dwight heard any of these performances ? 
If not, how then does he dare to condemn them, as unscientific or 
wanting in acute discrimination ? How does he fulfil that scrip- 
ture, which commands us, to " Judge not, that we be not judged ?" 
How does he obey that scripture, which commands us l( - to try the 
spirits ? " How does he fulfil that other scripture, which com- 
mands us to " Prove all things, and hold fast that which is good ? " 

So far as we have examined, the communications from the world 
of spirits, have been exceedingly rich in the poetical department. 
Three volumes of Poetry, dictated through the Rev. Thomas L. 
Harris, have been pronounced by competent judges, equal to the 
finest Poetry of the age. Wherever we open these volumes, and 
read a page, the Poetry seems to us exceedingly beautiful. Some 
other very valuable works have been dictated through Mr. Harris. 
From the best information we can obtain, the sermons spoken 
through him from week to week, are excellent ; burning and glow- 
ing with the rays of Divine Truth and Love. As a specimen of 
the Poetry from the world of spirits, we give the following from 
" The Lyric of the Morning Land," on page 82. 

THE SONG OF JUPITER. 
" I sit on my throne in the vastness of space, 
" And I rule o'er my orb like a queen in her grace, 
" And my children are sages with wisdom sublime, 
" And my land is majestic, my language divine, 
" For I chant as I roll through the infinite sky, 
"And the Angels of "Wisdom above me reply. 



61 



11 The forms of my children are azure and gold, 
" But their soul-life in vestures of purple they fold, 
4 For their robes correspond to their goodness and truth, 
" With azure and gold are they clad in their youth, 
" When the firmament sings to them out of its joy, 
" And they find in the magic of Nature employ ; 
,l Till working the Wisdom of God, the divine, 
81 Their robes become purple, and splendidly shine ; 
"Their sacred adornings bespeak their degree ; 
" In spirit the Infinite Spirit they see. 

4S 1 sit on my throne, and my children below 

" With Love in the light of eternity glow ; 

" And like rainbows that span the great dome of the skies, 

u Bespangled with rays that are fed from the eyes 

" Of worlds filled with Angels, my Sphere-lands ascend, 

" And into the light of the Infinite blend." 

Nearly allied to the former statement, are the allegations, "that 
in all the published volumes, there is not one original and valua- 
ble thought ; " and that " one proverb of King Solomon out- 
weighs in value all these revelations." We would not disparage 
the Proverbs of Solomon. The Book of Proverbs contains a great 
many valuable truths, beautifully expressed. The Book, however, 
is not free from defects. Several of the proverbs are repeated a 
second time verbatim et literatim in the same Book. But these 
proverbs did not all originate with Solomon. They were the ac- 
cumulated wisdom of ages. They do not all appear to be marked 
with equal wisdom. With regard to a few of them, if wisdom 
shinss in them, it is not discernible by our intellectual vision. 

Take an example, " The blueness of a wound cleanseth away 
evil : so do stripes, the inward part of the belly," (Prov. xx, 30.) 
We are not able to perceive the wisdom of this, nor even the 
meaning of it. Take another : " Men do not despise a thief, if 
he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry ; but if he be found, 
he shall restore seven-fold ; he shall give all the substance of his 
house." (Prov. vi, 30, 31.) If he is so poor, that he has to steal 
to satisfy hunger, it seems probable to us, that he will not have 
any house nor much substance to put in one, and we do not see 
how, he can restore seven-fold, if he has not got it. If a man has 
to steal food, when he is hungry, it appears to us, that it must be 
to satisfy the wants of his body, rather than those of his soul. We 
cannot see the wisdom of this proverb. 

Compare these with the three following proverbs, from " The 



62 

Healing of the Nations," dictated by a spirit through Charles 
Linton, found on page 239 : 

98. " A violent, headlong Philanthropy, so termed, is a dangerous thing 
for man. It binds his spirit with the worst of passions, and in every action, 
thwarts that which true Philanthropy would accomplish. 

99. " A slave to passion is a slave to ignorance and error, the worst and 
most debasing slavery on earth. All true freedom commences in the spirit 
of man, when the first ray of God's pure Love and of his Light falls upon 
him. 

100. "If God be the only perfectly free, the Godlike must approach near- 
est freedom. There see thy task; strive to make men Godlike. All man- 
kind are his children; hence thou canst be bound in thy sympathies by no 
sectional creed or influence without danger of losing thy inward power." 

These three were selected at a venture, taking those on the right 
hand page, where we first opened the Book. To us they appear 
far more valuable than those we have quoted from Solomon. This 
whole Book, so far as we have read it, is filled with treasures of 
Divine Wisdom and Truth. 

We close this lecture with a few lines from the spirit of Rob- 
ert Burns, through the mediumship of Mr. Harris. 

" Full oft we wake from weary dreams 

" Of want and woe and scorning, 
" When through window shine the beams 

" Of sunrise in the morning. 
" The dewy rose is fresh and sweet, 

" The gay parterre adorning ; 
" And meadow daisies press our feet 

" At sunrise in the morning. 

" Though outward life is dark with dreams 

" Of want and care and scorning, 
" Thank God ! it ends with Angel beams 

" Of sunrise in the morning. 
" Love's dewy roses open sweet, 

" The heavenly sphere adorning, 
" And death shall stoop to kiss our feet 

"At sunrise in the morning." 

"Then let us wake from idle dreams, 

" No child of sorrow scorning, 
" To scatter far the blessed beams 

" Of sunrise in the morning. 
" Then heart and soul shall blossom sweet, 

" The Heaven of Love adorning; 
" And we shall with the Savior meet 

" At sunrise in the morning." 



LECTURE III. 



We commence with, another specimen of Poetry from the World 
of Spirits, given through Rev. Thomas L. Harris. It will be 
found in the Epic of the Starry Heaven, on page 130. 

" The second truth I must perforce declare 

"Is this : God ever woiketh, everywhere, 

" And everywhere, from one Divine decree, 

" Urging all forms to one high destiny, 

" Shaping all things in wisdom from His will,— 

" And oh, how calm He works ! and oh. how still ! 

"And works from centers outward to extremes, 

" Diffusing through all forms the tempered beams 

" Of love and wisdom perfect and divine, 

" Through them outworking through all space and time, 

" And everywhere outfashioning the same 

" Great purpose into being. His true name 

" Is Maker, for He works with master hand 

' In every sun and every grain of sand, 

•' With perfect skill. His work is never done, 

" Or, being ended, is anew begun." 

On page 15, Dr. D wight undertakes to statej the pretensions 
of Spiritualism, and expresses himself shocked, because 

" It professes to hold direct and constant intercourse with the Invisible 
World, or with the region of departed spirits." He says : " Christians who 
have died in the Lord ; and reputable men of the world — together with mur- 
derers, drunkards, and harlots, who have not died in the Lord;" "can at 
almost any time be brought into immediate communication with any persons 
who desire it." "Primitive martyrs and Christ's apostles may be thus 
summoned. Ancient prophets and patriarchs may be thus summoned." &c 
" We are assured that at spiritual meetings which are now held in certain 
regions in Europe, — whether such blasphemies are yet practiced in our own 
country, we know not,— the Lord Jesus Christ is thus summoned and cate- 
chised ; and He communicates the desired information." 



64 

It seems to the speaker, this representation betrays either great 
Ignorance of the whole subject or great perversity of heart. No 
question, the spirits of the eminent men, who have lived in the 
past, may be summoned from the world of spirits : but whether 
they will obey the summons, is altogether another affair. Owen 
Glendower, the Welshman, one of the characters in Shakespeare's 
Henry IV., claimed, that he could " call spirits from the vasty 
deep." The fiery Hotspur Harry Percy freely admitted, that 
Glendower might call them, but begged leave to doubt, whether 
the spirits would come, when called. 

As we understand it, intelligent Spiritualists do not believe, 
that the mere article of death works any change in the intellectual, 
affectional, and moral nature of man. They believe, that the 
tender-hearted, affectionate mother does not and cannot forget 
her children, nor lose her interest in them. They think it per- 
fectly reasonable to believe, that this continued affection for her 
offspring, will beget in her bosom a desire to communicate* with 
them, to teach them the immortal truth, that she still lives <and in 
an improved condition, if such be the fact ; to show to them, that 
because she lives, they will live also ; and that they may again be 
united and once more occupy the same mansion in their Father's 
house in the Heavens. They believe this feeling of interest for 
her children is so strong, that she will resort to any means in her 
power to communicate this truth of the future life and immortal- 
ity for man, if it be nothing more than to produce a rap on a 
table. On the testimony of a thousand facts stated in the Scrip- 
tures, and of millions of living witnesses, as well as of their own 
senses, the Spiritualists know, that under favorable circumstances, 
the mother may and does exercise this power. 

But the Spiritualists also believe, in accordance with the doctrine 
of the Scriptures* that the Heaven of the earth is upward ; that 
it is upward from every part of the earth, and consequently a 
hollow sphere concentric to the earth. They further believe, 
that the world of spirits, is a place of activity and progress ; that 
in accordance with that scripture, which commands us to be per- 
fect, " even as our Father in Heaven is perfect," an opportunity 
is offered for perpetual progress towards the perfection of Deity; 
and that as spirits increase in knowledge and virtue, they become 
more etherial, and find their natural home or dwelling, correspond- 
ingly elevated in the Heavens. 

In consequence of this law of their being, spirits gradually find 
it more and more difficult to descend through the lower and gross- 



65 

er strata, which, are next to the earth. In a few years, all their 
near relations are removed by death. And when all their com- 
panions are transported to the world of spirits, and they find them 
in the Heavens, they become more and more attracted to the socie- 
ties of Heaven, and lose their former desire to visit the earth and 
communicate with men in the material body. For these reasons, 
we think Spiritualists do not believe, that spirits often communi- 
cate with men upon earth, after they have been out of the material 
body for a period of two hundred years or more. They do not 
deny, that this can be done ; nor that it is sometimes done, espec- 
ially by spirits, who have a strong desire for Missionary labor and 
reform. But they think it is not common. 

There is no doubt, that " murderers, drunkards, and harlots " 
may become mediums for evil spirits, as readily as moral men and 
Christians can become mediums for good spirits. Mediumship 
depends upon a peculiar organization and the physical condition 
of the person. Every man, whether in the material world or in the 
spiritual world, is naturally attracted to the society of others who 
are like him. So if "murderers, drunkards, and harlots" can 
become mediums, the spirits of such persons can communicate 
through them. I am surprised that Dr. Dwight should doubt it. 
Why should not spiritual communications come through immoral 
men now, as well as in ancient days ? David was a polygamist, 
an adulterer, and a murderer. Does Dr. Dwight deny, that he 
was a medium for spiritual communications ? Solomon was a sen- 
sualist, an adulterer, and a polygamist, Does Dr. Dwight deny, 
that he was a medium for spiritual intercourse ? Mary Magdalene 
has, by many, been supposed to have been a harlot. She was a 
medium for spiritual communications. Seven evil spirits took 
possession of her and made themselves manifest by communica- 
tions. Why should not evil spirits or the spirits of evil men do 
the same thing now ? 

For our part, we do not believe, that Jesus Christ has communi- 
cated through any medium directly during the present century, 
though we do not pretend to know. If he should come to com- 
municate, how would he be known ? No living person would 
know him by his form, his voice, or his writing. No person could 
be induced to recollect by the relation of unpublished facts in his 
life, or by any peculiar marks, or idiosyncracies of character, for 
all these are unknown. So far as we can see, there could be noth- 
ing to identify his person. If the communication should be in 
any respect impure or immoral in its tendency, it would stand 



66 



self-condemned. If it should be found in perfect harmony with 
the Divine law, still it might come from some other intervening spir- 
it. And the speaker would be inclined to regard it in that light. 

But pray, what is there shocking or blasphemous in the idea, 
that Jesus Christ should communicate from the world of spirits ? 
Does not Dr. Dwight go to the communion table monthly in the 
celebration of the last supper ? Does he not profess in that act, 
to communicate with the spirit of Jesus Christ ? If he does, how 
does he suppose Christ communicates with him ? Can it be, that 
it is more objectionable, to converse with Christ or any other de- 
parted spirit, by writing, by the voice, or in any other form, than 
it is to hold communication by the less reliable mode of impres- 
sion ? When Christ came from the world of spirits to hold inter- 
course with his disciples before the ascension ; and afterwards 
when he came and held intercourse with Saul of Tarsus ; he did 
so by his spiritual voice, which was audible and understood by 
certain chosen mediums, who had their spiritual hearing opened ; 
but which was not heard by others. If it is allowable for spirits 
to communicate from Hades by impression ; it must be far more 
uncertain than communication by the voice or by writing ; and if 
communication from the world of spirits by the voice or by writ- 
ing, is blasphemous or wrong ; intercourse by mere impression must 
be still more objectionable on account of its uncertainty. 

As we have already seen, when Jesus Christ gave the Book of 
Revelation, John was the remote medium and was thrown into 
the state of trance, in the same manner as the trance mediums of 
the present day. But this Revelation was not communicated di- 
rectly to John, but indirectly through an angelic and higher me- 
dium, who was the spirit of one of the prophets. When Jesus 
visited his disciples at the sea of Tiberias, he removed certain 
fishes to the shore, kindled a fire, and cooked them. If Jesus 
could and did after his death, while his disciples were still living 
in the body, visit them, open their spiritual hearing, and converse 
with them by spiritual voice ; extemporize for them from surround- 
ing matter, a thin, temporary, material form ; throw one of them 
into a trance by the introduction of a third spirit ; remove fishes 
from the sea of Tiberias, kindle a fire on the shore and cook them ; 
if he can and does now visit Christians and communicate with 
them by impression at the celebration of the supper ; no valid 
reason is perceived, why he may not visit them and communicate 
with them in other and more intelligent modes, if he chooses ; nor 
why there should be anything wrong in his so doing. 



67 

We now come to the phenomena of Spiritualism. What are 
they ? Dr. D wight has given a very lean account of them, and 
as he denies them altogether, except so far as they are produced 
by some operator in Mesmerism still in the body, or by fraudulent 
tricks, the speaker prefers to state them himself. Spiritualism 
alleges, that departed spirits, under favorable circumstances, can 
and do communicate with men in the material body ; that they 
can and do produce raps with or without contact ; that they can 
and do move ponderous bodies with or without contact ; that they 
can and do produce their own natural handwriting, with or with- 
out the use of the medium's hand ; that they can and do produce 
their own handwriting with or without the medium's hand, in 
languages unknown to the medium and to all others present ; 
that they can and do take possession of the medium, throw him 
into a trance, and utter through his organs, thoughts, of which he 
is incapable, and oftentimes in languages which he has never 
learned ; that they can and do play on piano-fortes and other 
musical instruments, with or without the hands of the medium, 
beautiful music, which neither the medium nor any other person 
present ever heard ; that they can and do, with or without the 
hand of the medium, prick oif music unknown to all in the fam- 
ily, and that, whether the medium is a musician or not ; that they 
can and do open the spiritual vision of seeing mediums, and 
exhibit their forms to such mediums, remaining still invisible to 
all others ; that they can and do move small articles about the 
house without contact, and in sight of the medium, at the same 
time concealing such articles from all others present ; that they 
can and do open the spiritual hearing of suitable mediums, and 
utter spiritual words, and make them audible to such mediums, 
which words cannot be heard by others though present ; that they 
can and do produce the odic or spiritual light, and make it man- 
ifest to all present ; that they can and do intervene to cure certain 
diseases, such as paralysis, rheumatism, neuralgia, fevers, scrofu- 
lous affections, and in some instances to restore sight to the 
blind ; and that they can and do in rare instances produce the 
human voice. 

The performers, who do these things, claim to be the spirits of 
deceased persons. They identify themselves in the most unmis- 
takable manner, by exhibiting their spiritual forms to seeing 
mediums, (sometimes many mediums seeing the same spiritual 
form at the same time ; ) by writing their own handwriting ; by 
relating facts in their history long since forgotten by all present; 



68 

and other facts that none present ever knew ; by recitals of poe- 
try, which they were accustomed to repeat, when living in the 
material body ; and sometimes by taking possession of the medi- 
um, and exhibiting in pantomime the motions and habits of body, 
to which they were accustomed while living here ; and sometimes the 
motions and habits of persons that were insane ; and sometimes 
speaking through the organs of the medium in a voice to imitate 
their own natural voice before death. To most of these facts we 
have millions of living witnesses. We have seen and observed 
them ourselves. To use the words of Jesus, " We speak that 
we do know, and testify that we have seen ; and ye receive not 
our witness." ( John iii. 11.) 

This is the same testimony on which the Christian religion 
rests, multiplied a thousand-fold. " Him," says Peter speaking 
of Christ, " God raised up the third day, and showed him openly ; 
not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before God, even 
to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the 
dead. And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to 
testify that it is he, who was ordained of God to be the Judge of 
quick and dead." ( Acts x. 40, 41, 42.) 

The people were not able to see Jesus in his spiritual form, but 
were under the necessity of relying upon the testimony of the Apos- 
tles. Even the Apostles were not all of them sufficiently devel- 
oped as mediums to see Jesus in the risen or spiritual state ; for 
we are informed by Matthew, that " the eleven disciples went 
away into Galilee, into a mountain, where Jesus had appointed 
them. And when they saw him, they worshipped him ; but some 
doubted" ( Matthew xxviii. 16, 17.) It appears evident to us, 
that part of the eleven had not their spiritual vision sufficiently 
opened to see the spiritual form ; and that they did not themselves 
see Jesus ; and as they were unwilling to rely on the testimony 
of the others, they doubted. We think, if they had actually seen 
Jesus, they could not have doubted the evidence of their own 
senses. 

Even those among the disciples, who were seeing mediums, 
could not see Jesus, till their spiritual vision was opened. This 
appears in the case of the two disciples, that were met by him on 
their way to Emmaus. The Evangelist writes : " Jesus himself 
drew near and went with them. But their eyes were holden, that 
they should not know him." That is to say, after their spiritual 
vision had been partially opened, so as to enable them to discern 
the form of a man, their spiritual eyes were purposely " holden" 



69 



or kept in that state, partially opened, but not sufficiently, to 
enable them to distinguish the form of Jesus from that of a stran- 
ger. Their internal vision was held in that state of partial open- 
ness, until at supper, when Jesus " took bread, and blessed it, 
and brake, and gave to them. And their eyes were opened, and 
they knew him : and he vanished out of their sight." ( Luke 
xxiv. 15, 16; 30, 31.) The same was the case with Mary Mag- 
dalene as recorded in John xx. 14. The same was true of the 
seven disciples, who met Jesus on the shore of the sea of Tibe- 
rias. ( John xxi, 4.) It seems, that while at supper, Jesus fully 
opened the spiritual vision of the two disciples, that were on 
their way to Emmaus, for a moment, so that they knew him, and 
immediately closed it again, which made it appear, as though he 
vanished out of their sight. We have then the same kinds of 
manifestations and the same evidence of them, as the Jews had of 
those recorded in the Scriptures. 

But it is inquired, if the speaker has been present and a witness 
to all the various kinds'- of manifestations himself. He has not ; 
and he never witnessed any of those recorded in the Scriptures. 
He has heard the raps produced with contact arid without contact. 
He has seen the table move with contact and also without contact. 
He has been present when writing has been produced without the 
use of the medium's hand. He has seen the proper handwriting 
of the spirit produced through the medium's hand, and has had 
it produced for him without the medium's hand in considerable 
quantity under a lock and key. He has seen a spirit produce his 
own handwriting through the hand of the medium in languages, 
which the medium did not understand nor any other person pres- 
ent except the speaker, and using a word, whose signification was 
at the time unknown to him. He has, in many instances, known 
mediums to be entranced by spirits, and has heard the medium 
speak in a language alike unknown to him and his auditors. He 
has seen the spiritual light produced. He has heard music pro- 
duced on instruments without the aid of the medium's hand. Be- 
sides all this, he has clearly and distinctly seen the spiritual form 
of one departed friend in a few instances, himself, and also the 
forms of some others, imperfectly. But it is said, this is all 
" delusion," because it is contrary to Scripture. 

We have an impression, that there is some mistake about this. 
It strikes us, that these facts are precisely in accordance with the 
spiritual manifestations of the Scriptures, and furnish the strongest 
evidence we have of the authenticity of those writings. Small 



70 

bodies, as hats, bonnets, shawls, watches, pencils, and carpet bags 
are now moved without being in contact with the medium. So 
was the axe, that was borrowed by one of the sons of the proph- 
ets, raised through the mediumship of Elisha without contact. 
(2 Kings vi. 6.) Large bodies, like piano-fortes are now moved 
without contact. So was the stone rolled away from the door of 
the sepulcher ; and so were the walls of Jericho, thrown down 
without contact. Mr. Gordon a modern medium, was taken up 
and carried fifty feet by spiritual power without contact. So 
Philip, after baptising the eunuch, was caught away by the Spirit, 
and carried some part of the distance towards Azotus. (Acts. 
viii. 39.) Writings, in these days, have often been produced, 
without the hand of the medium, that is to say, by a spiritual 
hand. So in the palace of Belshazzar, there " came out the 
fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick 
upon the plaster of the wall of the king's palace : and the king 
saw the part of the hand that wrote." (Dan. v. f>.) 

Though in the production of these modern writings without the 
hand of the medium, we are not aware of any case, where the 
spiritual hand has been seen, while producing the writing ; yet 
such hands have often been seen, while playing on musical instru- 
ments, as well as on other occasions. Musical demonstrations 
without the hand of the medium in these days, are common. 
What is more remarkable, at the advent of Christ, a multitude of 
the heavenly host sang an anthem, saying : " Glory to God in the 
highest, and on earth peace and good will to men." (Luke ii. 1 4.) 
In these days, the odic or spiritual light has often been produced 
for a short space. What is more remarkable, if the account we 
have in Matthew, as it now stands, is to be received, at the birth of 
Christ, this light was produced and continued for a considerable 
period of time, and made to assume the appearance of a star in 
motion. (Mat. ii. 1-10.) 

In these days, languages, which the medium had never learned, 
have frequently been produced, through his hand or voice. So on 
the day of Pentecost, the disciples of Christ, " were filled with 
the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the 
Spirit gave them utterance." (Acts ii. 4.) In these days, seeing 
mediums are often permitted to see the spiritual forms of their 
friends, which are invisible to others, that are present. So the 
spiritual or risen form of Jesus, was seen by more or less of the 
disciples, " not by all the people," nor even by all the disciples, 
who w r ere present when he manifested himself ; but only by those 



71 



whose spiritual vision was opened, and the rest were obliged to 
rely upon their testimony. In these days, mediums, whose spirit- 
ual hearing is opened, often hear sounds, that are inaudible to 
others, that are present. So when Jesus met Saul on his way to 
Damascus, and spoke spiritual words to him, those, who journey- 
ed with him " heard not the voice," because their spiritual hear- 
ing was not opened. (Acts xxii. 9.) We have an account of a 
child, that was recently cured of a fever in answer to the prayer 
of the mother, the fever leaving the child one side at a time. So 
it is related in the Gospel, that Jesus cured Simon's wife's mother 
by a simple touch. (Mat. viii. 15.) We have a recent account 
of a person blind for twenty years, whose sight was restored by 
the laying on of hands. In the Gospel we are informed, that 
Jesus gave sight to one, who was born blind, by means equally 
simple. (John ix. 1-7.) But why do I proceed ? Is it not 
evident, that all the spiritual manifestations of this age, are anal- 
ogous to those recorded in the Scriptures and produced by simi- 
lar means ? 

But it is alleged, that Animal Magnetism accounts for all of 
these manifestations, which are real. Animal Magnetism is 
curiously described in this sermon. It is called, 

" An influence or element, in some respects, resembling electricity and 
natural magnetism, and in others independent of both; an influence or 
element partly physical, and partly pertaining to the human body, in which 
in different persons, it exists in different degrees." 

" It is partly physical and partly pertaining to tlie human body" 
says Dr. D wight. So then, what pertains to the human body, 
according to Dr. D wight, we are to understand, is not physical or 
natural ; and what is " physical " or natural, cannot pertain to the 
human body. Really Dr. D wight shows himself as completely 
ignorant of the meaning of the word "physical" as he is desti- 
tute of all true knowledge of Human Magnetism, Siderial Astron- 
omy, or Biblical Science. 

He ought to know, if he undertakes to instruct others, that 
Practical Psychology or Mesmerism is the actual communion be- 
tween two spirits, while both are in the body. He ought to know, 
that ordinary experiments in Mesmerism, require two parties, a 
subject or medium and an operator. He ought to know, that the 
operator establishes the spiritual communication by means of his 
will ; and that consequently, if his soul and spirit survive the 
process of death, no good reason can be assigned, why the opera- 



72 

tor in Mesmerism, should not retain all his Mesmeric power, and 
even find it increased by throwing off his external body. This is 
what we find to be the fact. And this is the way, in which the 
phenomena of Spiritualism are produced. 

But no operator in Mesmerism, while in the material body, has 
been able to produce any of the higher phenomena of Spiritual- 
ism. The operator in Mesmerism, is able to throw his subject or 
medium into a trance ; to control him in most cases at will ; to 
deceive his senses ; to present to him imaginary pictures and in- 
duce him to receive them as real. But so far as we can learn, no 
operator in ordinary Mesmerism, from the beginning of the world, 
has ever been able to produce a real rap without contact ; to move 
a table without contact ; to induce the medium to speak or write 
in any language, which was alike unknown to the medium and 
the operator ; or to conceal present material objects from the 
vision of all others present, while the subject or medium is per- 
mitted to see them. These and many others of the phenomena of 
Spiritualism, are a higher branch of the art, which the operator 
in Mesmerism, cannot produce by the power of his will, until after 
he passes into the spiritual world. 

The operator in Mesmerism, when he is freed from his external 
body, and becomes a free spirit, if he can find a medium, through 
whose organization he can freely work and upon which he can act 
as a lever, by his Mesmeric or will power, can produce the raps ; 
move the table ; and take up the pen and write in the same man- 
ner, as the speaker can, by the power of his will through his own 
organism, He can write through the hand of the medium or with- 
out it, in any language, which he understands, in the same manner, 
he formerly could through his own bodily organs. He can enter 
into the medium and express himself and speak in any language, 
which he understands, provided he has perfect control of his sub- 
ject, in the same manner, as the speaker can through his own 
organs. In order to obtain spiritual manifestations, it is never 
necessary to have any Mesmeric operator present. When such 
operators with a strong will, are present, they have.power, in some 
degree, to counteract the will of a spiritual operator. But the 
finest spiritual manifestations are obtained, when only one, two, or 
three are present, and when all present are mediums. 

But if all the spiritual manifestations of the present day, are 
produced by Mesmeric operators in the body ; then, no doubt, all 
those, recorded in the Scriptures, were produced in the same way; 
for they appear to be entirely similar. If piano-fortes, are now 



73 

taken up from the floor by ordinary Mesmerism and without con- 
tact ; then the walls of Jericho were pulled down by the same 
means. If writing, without the medium's hand, is now produced 
by human Magnetism or ordinary Mesmerism ; then the writing 
in Belshazzar's palace, was produced in the same manner. If 
spiritual hands are all now produced by ordinary Mesmerism ; 
then the hand seen by Belshazzar, was produced in the same way. 
If the ward of the lock is thrown back, and the bolted door opened 
by ordinary Mesmerism in this age ; then Peter was brought out 
of prison by the same means. If the spiritual mediums, in all 
cases, now see the spiritual forms of their deceased friends by 
ordinary Mesmerism ; then all the manifestations of the form of 
Jesus to his disciples, were produced in the same manner. If 
spiritual mediums in all cases, hear spiritual sounds by ordinary 
Mesmerism in these days ; then the disciples heard the voice of 
Jesus, after his death in the same way. Then we have no reliable 
evidence, that Jesus ever rose out of the dead. And so I might 
say of all the spiritual manifestations recorded in the Scriptures. 
Then is our faith vain, and Christianity a fable. 

Mesmerism is only one branch of the infinite system of Spirit- 
ualism. Mesmerism is wholly confined to that intercourse, which 
may be established between two human spirits, while both still 
reside in. their material bodies. Spiritualism regards all that inter- 
course, which' exists or may be established between any two 
spirits in the universe ; whether they are both human spirits or 
not ; whether they are both in the body or not ; whether they are 
both equally elevated ; or whether one is the Deity, and the other 
one of the lowest spirits, that has been organized by His power. 
Spiritualism explains the origin of the doctrine of the Transmi- 
gration of Souls ; it shows the mode, in which nearly every system 
of idolatry was introduced into the world ; it is a key to unlock 
all the dark volumes of Ancient History and Mythology, and fur- 
nishes a scientific basis for all true religion. 

Dr. Dwight next attempts to cast ridicule upon the Spiritualists, 
because they have avoided the odious system of taxing pews ; 
because some of their lecturers have been paid by the ticket sys- 
tem, in the same manner as the lecturers of our Lyceums ; and 
because they work too cheap. This is small business ; we cannot 
descend to it. The Spiritualists believe in the continual improve- 
ment of the human race. President Lord of Dartmouth College, 
came here to give a lecture " Upon the other side," — to show that 



74 

man is retrograding — going back to the brute. Suppose the 
speaker should say, that President Lord made a public exhibition 
of his dark and chilling doctrines, " like those of a theatre or 
travelling menagerie, to all spectators," who would pay twenty-five 
cents a head; what would be thought of his regard for good 
breeding? 

For ourselves we have never received anything for lectures. 
We think no person can complain, that this is a deviation from 
the example of Jesus Christ. And we further believe, if Dr. 
D wight carefully examines the subject, he will find, that those 
who receive the least compensation, in that respect, copy most 
nearly the example of Jesus, the great pattern. Though we have 
never received any thing for lectures ourselves, we are aware, that 
the laborer is worthy of his hire ; and we have always been ready 
to contribute our full share, to pay others for lectures or sermons. 

The scheme of taxing pews, was invented by men of wealth, to 
enable them to avoid paying their share of the expense of relig- 
ious instruction. The only just mode of taxation for the ministra- 
tion of the word, is to assess a tax upon all in a Parish, according 
to their polls and estates, in the same manner, as is done for the 
purposes of government. Under the system of taxing pews, the 
poor widow must pay as much as the man of wealth, who is worth 
two hundred thousand dollars. This is so, if the privileges are 
equal. But this gross injustice does not fully expose the iniquity 
of the system. The men of wealth are generally efficient in build- 
ing houses for worship, and are able to obtain the best pews, and 
to fix their own valuation upon them. For the purpose of taxa- 
tion, they are generally able to fix and maintain a valuation upon 
the poorer pews, far above their proportionate value. 

If any thing is said about correcting the valuation, they forth- 
with declare, that a new valuation of the pews, will break up the 
Parish ; — -the plain meaning of which is, that if they cannot have 
the best pews, without paying a tax justly proportionate, they will 
do nothing to support the preaching of the Gospel. The speaker 
has himself known a case in this city, where pews, that were not 
worth a cent, were valued for taxation, as high within ten per cent, as 
the best in the house ; and yet the valuation could not be correct- 
ed, because it was alleged by men of wealth, that a change in the 
valuation, would break up the Parish. He has known another 
case in this city, where a female and member of the church, who 
was under the necessity of laboring for her bread, refrained from 
constant attendance on public worship, because she felt unable to 



75 

pay the tax of five dollars upon a seat, without depriving herself 
of articles necessary for her bodily comfort. 

The speaker understands, that the Spiritualists, who first estab- 
lished public worship in this city on the sabbath, were few in 
number; under the ban of the church; and without wealth. 
They were unable to pay for lectures by subscription. They had 
no legal organization and could not levy an equal tax upon prop- 
erty. They had no pews to tax and would not tax them, if they 
had. We are aware, that the support of lecturers by the ticket 
system, is not free from objection ; but think it is not so odious, as 
that by the taxation of pews, by w r hich we understand, Dr. D wight 
receives his support. 

It is asserted in the sermon, that 

" These very practices [the practice of holding intercourse with departed 
spirits] under other names, are sternly rebuked and condemned in the Old 
Testament." 

If this were true, it would raise no presumption against Spirit- 
ualism. Many things are prohibited in the writings of Moses, 
which are not contrary to the Divine law ; and many others are 
allowed, which are contrary to it. In the law of Moses, are found 
the following commands : " Thou shaltnot sow thy vineyard with 
divers seeds ; lest the fruit of thy seed which thou hast sown, and 
the fruit of thy vineyard, be defiled." " Thou shalt not wear a 
garment of divers sorts, as of woolen and linen together." " Thou 
shalt make thee fringes upon the four quarters of thy vesture." 
(Deut. xxii. 9, 11, 12.) " Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live." 
(Ex. xxii. 18.) These statutes, on their face, are in no respect 
based upon the Divine law. The last one is directly contrary to 
that precept which declares : " Thou shalt not kill." (Ex. xx. 
13.) 

The law of Moses prohibited the gathering of sticks on the Sab- 
bath day under the penalty of death. (Num. xv. 32-36.) This 
statute, on its face, was also directly contrary to the Divine law. 
Jesus taught, that the Sabbath was made for man ; that it was 
lawful to do well on the Sabbath day ; to save life and not to kill ; 
to travel for useful purposes ; to heal the sick ; to rub out the 
standing corn and eat it, when hungry ; and to do any other work 
of charity. All this he taught and practiced, justifying himself 
from the known fact, that his Father worked constantly and just 
as constantly on the Sabbath as on any other day. (John v. 17 ; 
Mark ii. 23-27 ; Luke vi. 9 ; xiii. 15. 



76 

On the other hand, many things were permitted by the writings 
of Moses, that were directly contrary to the Divine law. The 
Mosaic code permitted divorces for frivolous and fanciful causes. 
(Deut. xxiv. 1.) Christ declares, that this was contrary to the 
Divine law. " Moses, because of the hardness of your heart, suf- 
fered you to put away your wives, but from the beginning it was 
not so." (Mat. xix. 3-10.) The Jews were prohibited from 
eating anything that dieth of itself, as unhealthy ; but were al- 
lowed to give it to a stranger, or to sell it to a foreigner. " Ye 
shall not eat of any thing, that dieth of itself; thou shalt give it 
unto the stranger, that is in thy gates, that he may eat it ; or thou 
mayest sell it unto an alien." (Deut. xiv. 21.) They were al- 
lowed to take usury to an unlimited extent from foreigners ; but 
were prohibited from receiving any interest from those of their 
own nation. " Unto a stranger thou mayest lend upon usury ; 
but unto thy brother, thou shalt not lend upon usury." (Deut. 
xxiii. 20.) 

These statutes making odious distinctions of injustice against 
strangers and foreigners, on their face, are directly contrary to the 
Divine law. " God is no respecter of persons." Peter was en- 
tranced by a spirit, and a beautiful allegorical picture presented 
before his mind, to teach him, that God had no more regard for 
the Jews, than he had for the surrounding Gentiles. (Acts x. 
10-35.) The parable of the good Samaritan was given to teach 
us, that God has no regard to persons or nations, but only to gen- 
uine goodness. (Luke x. 30-37.) The scriptures, declaring the 
Divine injunction, that we should not respect persons; but should 
regard the stranger as ourselves ; are numerous. (James ii. 1-9 : 
Ex. xxii. 21 ; xxiii. 9 ; Lev. xix. 15, 33, 34 ; xxiv. 22 ; Deut. i. 
17; xvi. 19.) 

In Genesis we find the following : 

" And it came to pass, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, 
Abraham : And he said, Behold, here I am. And He said, Take now thy 
son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of 
Moriah and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains, 
which I will tell thee of." (Gen. xxii. 1-21.) 

In its literal sense, this passage is directly contrary to the Divine 
law, and unless understood in an allegorical or spiritual sense, it 
cannot be Divine. In its literal sense, it comes directly into con- 
flict with three principles of the Divine law. First, That human 
life is sacred and we have no right to kill. (Ex. xx. 13 ; Luke 
ix. 54, 56.) Secondly, That God tempts no man. (James i. 13.) 



77 

Thirdly, That God requires no sacrifices. (Hosea vi. 5 ; Mat. ix. 
13; xii. 7; Isa. i. 13.) 

So if intercourse with departed spirits, was prohibited by the 
Old Testament, that circumstance would furnish no presumption, 
that it was wrong. Again, if in the Old Testament, God prohib- 
ited this intercourse, it must have been, because it was real. 
He never could have been so destitute of wisdom, as to prohibit 
what was not possible. Solon, the Legislator of Athens, was 
wiser than this. History relates, that in his code, he refused to 
provide any punishment for parricide, because he would not seem 
to recognize the fact, that it was possible for any man to kill his 
own father. 

In order to show, that all intercourse with departed spirits, was 
prohibited in the Old Testament, Dr. Dwight cites two texts to 
wit : Deut. xviii. 10, 11, 12; and Isa. viii. 19. Both texts are in 
pari materia, — (upon the same matter.) The former covers all 
the ground ; so it will not be necessary to allude to the latter. 
In citing this text, several of the practices, which are named and 
prohibited therein, are omitted by Dr. Dwight, The whole text 
reads as follows : 

" There shall not be found among you any one, that maketh his son or his 
daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of 
times, or an enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar 
spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an 
abomination to the Lord." 

Every book must be interpreted so as to be in harmony with 
itself. It cannot be supposed, that by this passage, Moses intend- 
ed to prohibit all intercourse with the world of spirits, for he prac- 
ticed it himself. As already seen, he received a spiritual message 
of extraordinary interest from an angel of the Lord in the burn- 
ing bush. Upon this message he acted, and it was the means of 
changing the whole course of his life and fortune. This angel as- 
sisted him in the performance of the wonderful works, that he was 
permitted to do before Pharaoh, in the land of Ham, and by the 
Red Sea. He went before the children of Israel in a pillar of 
a cloud by day, and in a pillar of fire by night, during their jour- 
ney through the wilderness to the land of promise. 

If we may trust to the interpretations of Stephen as reported 
by Luke, of Paul, and of the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews ; 
Moses was in constant intercourse with spirits, and the whole of 
the Mosaic law was dictated by angels. In the discourse of Ste- 
phen to the Jews, which provoked them to stone him to death, he 



78 

charged upon them, that they had "received the law by the dispo- 
sition of angels and had not kept it." (Acts vii. 53.) Paul, in 
his letter to the Galatians, says : " The law was ordained of an- 
gels in the hand of a mediator." (Gal. iii. 19.) And the writer 
of the Epistle to the Hebrews, speaking of the law as well as the 
revelations, that had been previously made to the patriarchs, 
says : " For if the word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every 
transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of re- 
ward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation ? " 
(Heb. ii. 2, 3.) 

Bearing in mind, that Moses was in the constant practice of inter- 
course with departed spirits himself: and that from the character 
of the communications he received, we may infer, that they were 
the spirits of his ancestors or of the earlier Jews ; let us examine 
the passage in Deuteronomy, and see if we can extract the mean- 
ing. We give to each word, except " necromancer," the defini- 
tion or paraphrase of the learned Hebrew scholar Dr. Adam Clarke, 
thus : To pass through the fire ; — " Probably in the way of conse- 
cration to Molech- or some other deity: " Divination; — "One 
who endeavors to find out futurity by auguries : " Observer of 
times ;-— ■" One who pretends to foretell future events by present 
occurrences, and who predicts great political or physical changes 
from the aspects of the planets, eclipses, or motions of the clouds :" 
Enchanters ; — ■" One who inspected the entrails of beasts, and 
observed the flight of birds and thence drew auguries : " A witch ; 
- — " Probably those who by means of drugs, perfumes, &c, pre- 
tended to bring certain celestial influences to their aid : " A charm- 
er ;— " One who uses spells as tying knots for divination : " A 
consulter with familiar spirits ; — M One who inquires by the means 
of one spirit, to get oracular answers from another of a superior 
order : " A wizard ; — -" A knowing one — was formerly considered 
the masculine of witch, both practicing divination by similar 
means." These definitions we take from Dr. Adam Clarke. We 
take the definition of " necromancer" from Dr. D wight himself. 
He says, " It means those impostors among the ancient Israelites, 
who pretended, that they were able to summon back departed spirits, 
and thus to reveal the knowledge of the future." 

The practice of causing children to pass through the fire to Mo- 
loch was heathenish, idolatrous, and cruel. We know also, that 
the Heathen observed the flight of birds ; inspected the entrails 
of beasts ; watched the planets, eclipses, and the clouds for the 
purpose of augury and divination ; also that they used drugs, per- 



79 

fumes, and spells for the same purpose. In most of these modes, 
no revelations could ever be obtained ; and in fact by none of them 
could revelations ever be obtained, except by the use of drugs, 
and these were exceedingly injurious to the health of the medi- 
ums. By those, who consulted familiar spirits, we understand 
those who, neglecting the rule of the Apostle John, " to try the 
spirits," kept up constant intercourse with low, inferior, or evil 
spirits. Moses prohibited the heathenish practice of causing chil- 
dren to pass through the fire to Moloch ; and we think it was an 
object with him, to avoid every custom and practice of the nations 
around ; and to that end, to prohibit them from holding inter- 
course with the spirits of the Heathen, lest they should thereby 
be led to adopt their other practices, and especially their system 
of idolatry. 

We know, that the Jews were very tenacious of their rights, 
as citizens, as well as exclusive and intolerant of foreigners and 
foreign customs. Taking the whole passage together, we think 
the purpose of it was to prohibit the Jews from idolatry ; from 
sacrificing their children to Moloch ; from holding intercourse 
with the spirits of foreigners ; from holding intercourse with low, 
inferior, or evil spirits ; from consulting mediums, who used 
drugs ; and those who were impostors and pretended to be medi- 
ums, when they were not such in fact. Surely it never could have 
been intended to prohibit intercourse with good and pure spirits 
from the angelic world ; because not only Moses, but Jesus, and 
all the patriarchs, and prophets were in constant exercise of this 
very practice. 

It is asserted in the sermon, that 

"Thpy who did this [sought unto the spirits of the dead] were, by God'e 
own appointment, as the Pentateuch informs us, to be capitally punished, as 
traitors to God, the theocratic sovereign of the nation. That punishment 
indeed ceased, and properly with the final overthrow of idolatry among the 
Jewish people." 

It is true, that witchcraft and practice with familiar spirits, were 
prohibited under the penalty of death. " A man also, or a wom- 
an that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be 
put to death : they shall stone them with stones." (Lev. xx. 27.) 
In like manner witchcraft was prohibited under the penalty of 
death throughout Europe until a very recent period ; also in Eng- 
land, and in the United States — then colonies, until the year 
1736. But all these statutes were barbarous. On their face, 
they are directly contrary to the Divine law ; and unless Dr. 



80 

D wight can show, that the prohibition, cited from Moses, has a 
spiritual sense under the letter, as asserted by Swedenborg, it will 
be very difficult for him to show, that it ever came from God at 
all. It has already been seen, that God, in his Divine law, 
regards human life as sacred, and prohibits man from taking it 
under any pretence. It may here be added, that Christ repre- 
sented the Mosaic law, which inflicted capital punishment by 
stoning upon the adulteress, as by no means Divine, but barbar- 
ous and unreasonably severe. (John viii. 3-11.) But if the 
law, for inflicting capital punishment upon the crime of witch- 
craft, ever came from God at all, there can be no doubt, it is in 
full force now, and among all nations. No part of the Divine 
law has ever been repealed. We challenge Dr. Dwight to show 
proof, that any part of the law of God, has ever been abrogated. 

Again Dr. Dwight alleges, that 

" It is not hyperbole but literal verity, when he affirms that its spirit [the 
spirit of Spiritualism] is anti- Christian and heathenish." 

He further declares, that the worship of the Spiritualists is 
not given 

"To the Jehovah of the Bible, for Spiritualism has disowned His author- 
ity over the invisible world." 

Again he asserts, that 

" Another deity is then worshipped, [by the Spiritualists] whose name 
has never yet been heard of in heaven or hell, a deity whom the universe 
knows not, the God of Spiritualism." 

He further asserts, that, as indispensable to the general preva- 
lence of Spiritualism in New England, 

" The three thousand temples, which have been consecrated to the God of 
the Bible, must have been first closed ; the Saviour whom it reveals, must 
have given place — as the Great Teacher of mankind — to Andrew Jackson 
Davis, to John W. Edmonds, and to Robert Hare, and the Bible itself have 
become an obsolete volume, except to a few superannuated believers." 

No, Dr. Dwight, you entirely misunderstand Spiritualism and 
the Spiritualists. They will never pin their faith upon Andrew 
Jackson Davis, nor Judge Edmonds, nor Dr. Hare, nor any other 
man. Having become emancipated from the dark and dismal 
creeds of men, in v/hich they were educated, they will be in no 
hurry to go into bondage again to any creed, that has been or 
may hereafter be formed by any other man or any departed spirit. 
If they find anything in their works, which seems to them, to be 



81 

In accordance with truth, they will receive it. All the rest they 
will reject. They believe with Paul, that the Divine law is writ- 
ten in the hearts of all men ; (Rom. ii. 13 — 15.) and with John, 
that the light of Divine Wisdom shines for every man that comes 
into the world; (John i. 9.) and they will be guided by that law 
and that light. 

Dr. Dwight has made severe charges against the Spiritualists, 
but not severer than the charges, which the Jewish Doctors brought 
against Jesus. Suppose we should assert, that Dr. Dwight was a 
heathen and an infidel ; that he had renounced the entire Bible 
and the God of the Bible ; that he did not worship the Jehovah 
of the Bible ; for his system had disowned His authority over the 
invisible world ; that he had set up and worshipped another 
deity, unknown to the universe, whose name had never yet been 
heard of in heaven or hell, the God of Calvinism ; what would 
he think of it ? "We think we have shown, that he has misrepre- 
sented nearly every passage, he has quoted from the Bible, and 
that we have far more cause to make these assertions of him, than 
he had to make the assertions he did in his sermon against the 
Spiritualists. But we shall not do it. The speaker was formerly 
laboring under the same delusions himself. He received the same 
system of doctrines, as Dr. Dwight now receives. He received 
them honestly and sincerely. He has no reason to denounce Dr. 
Dwight, nor to assert, that he does not honestly and sincerely 
receive the system of doctrines, which he teaches, and he will not 
make any such assertion ; but will give thanks for that truth, 
which has wrought out for the speaker his own personal deliver- 
ance. 

Before closing this reply, it is necessary for us to give a summa- 
ry of the doctrines, which we suppose, the Spiritualists generally 
receive, though we can only speak for ourselves. 

I believe in one God, and that God exists in one person ; that 
the universe is filled with an immense ocean of life or spirit, 
which is the body of God ; that in this ocean of spirit dwells an 
infinite mind, which is the Divine mind ; that as God fills the 
universe, He is invisible, always has been invisible, and from the 
nature of the case, must always remain invisible ; that God is the 
Framer of all worlds, the Father of all men, and the Author of 
all other beings ; that his power, wisdom, and goodness are 
adequate to this great end — that is infinite ; that God and all His 
laws are unchangeable ; that all His ways are infinitely just and 
true ; that all men are composed of three parts at least, viz : 



82 

matter or dust, spirit or life, and soul or mind ; that the earth 
is the mother of all men ; that all men, as to their external or 
material bodies, partake of their mother earth, and are earthy ; 
that all men, as to their spirits and souls, partake of the nature 
of their father, and are Divine ; that death is a separation of the 
soul and organized spirit from the material body and unorganized 
spirit : that at death, the external body of man, again mingles 
with the common mass of the earth, never more to be reclaimed 
or needed by the man, who gives it up ; that the soul and spirit 
survive the shock of death, and that in them man is immortal ; 
that the spirit of man is in the same form as his external body 
possesses, when complete and without mutilation ; that after 
death and the resurrection, this spirit constitutes man's spiritual 
body ; that it has senses correspondent to all of the external 
senses, which for the most part remain dormant in the present 
state of being ; that in the present life, these senses are some- 
times opened more or less perfectly, as in cases of Mesmerism 
and in some cases of Spiritualism proper ; that at death, the real 
man, that is to say, his soul and spirit rise from or out of his 
dead body ; that in the New Testament, this is denominated 
'Avaoracns or the resurrection ; that death works no change in the 
intellectual, affectional, spiritual, and moral nature of man ; that 
locally the world of spirits is a hollow sphere concentric to the 
earth, and extending out indefinitely into space in every direction ; 
that in order to give man an opportunity for the highest state of 
happiness of which he is capable, God made him free to choose 
the best good ; that this freedom necessarily gave him the power 
to reject good and to choose evil ; that the highest state of hap- 
piness, possible for man, consists in living in perfect conformity to 
the Divine law ; that after God had conferred on man the power 
to choose evil or good, it was not possible for Him even, accord- 
ing to his plan, to prevent the introduction of moral evil into the 
world ; that man, having within him the power so to do, intro- 
duced moral evil into the world by violating the Divine law, or 
committed sin ; that the Divine law is so constituted, that evil or 
sin works its own appropriate punishment ; that man, having 
violated the Divine law, became unhappy, just in proportion to 
the nature and extent of that violation ; that when by violation 
of the Divine law, man becomes unhappy, in order to restore him 
to happiness, it is necessary, that he should be regenerated or 
reformed, and be brought again to act in conformity with the 
Divine law ; that he will become happy again, just in proportion 



as lie is led to conform to that law ; that the instrumentality of 
regeneration or reformation, is the Divine Truth, leading men to 
conform their lives to the Divine law, by the performance of 
every duty ; that God requires of man perfect conformity to the 
Divine law, and that in all worlds, an opportunity is given him 
for progress and improvement ; that God does not willingly afflict 
nor grieve the children of men, nor punish any vindictively ; 
that in all the universe of God, it is a law, that whatsoever a 
man sows, that shall he also reap ; that on account of the igno- 
rance of men in the world generally, in relation to the Divine 
law, it became necessary, that they should have a more elevated 
Teacher ; that Jesus Christ was sent from God, as a special mes- 
senger, to proclaim the truths of the Divine law to mankind ; 
that in his doctrines, as recorded in the Evangelists, are found the 
most perfect written revelations of that law ; that God requires 
no sacrifices ; that the angels of the spiritual world appertaining 
to the earth, are the spirits of men ; that intercourse may be 
established between the spirits of two men, while both remain in 
the body, which is a branch of Spiritualism, commonly called 
Mesmerism ; that the spirits of two angels in the world of spirits 
may communicate with each other in that world ; that God may 
communicate with the angels of that world, and that these are 
other branches of Spiritualism ; that angels from the world of 
spirits, can and do communicate with the spirits of men in the 
body. This is what is more commonly called Spiritualism. On 
the proof of this, is founded the certainty of man's future life 
and immortality. 

This is the Theory. But the actual measure of every man's 
religion, is the amount of good he does in the world. I be- 
lieve that all these doctrines are in perfect harmony with the 
teachings of Jesus ; but that it is my duty to give up any 
one of them, the moment I discover it to be erroneous. If to 
embrace these doctrines, is to renounce the entire Bible and the 
God of the Bible, then am I guilty. But if these doctrines are 
in perfect harmony with the doctrines of Jesus Christ, then how 
stands Dr. Dwight ? 



Note. — Some of the Spiritualists have thought the matter in these lec- 
tures upon Siderial Astronomy and the iniquity of the system of taxing 
pews, might have been omitted. But they should remember, that the lec- 
tures were given, at the request of the President, as a reply to the sermon 
of Dr. Dwight, and not wholly nor merely as a defence of Spiritualism. 
Although these subjects had no reference to Spiritualism, they were strict- 
ly germane to the sermon, and pertinent in the reply. 

If it had been our purpose to furnish a complete defence of Spiritualism ; 
to remove all objections that stand in the way of doubters; to enunciate, 
explain, classify, and arrange all the phenomena ,• to compare and identify 
the same, with the phenomena of like kind, recorded in Ancient History, — 
Sacred and Profane ; to erect upon the science a system of morality corres- 
pondent thereto : our lectures would have been many, and would have filled 
two volumes of five hundred pages each ; and perhaps more. 

To Spiritualists such a work, would seem unnecessary. Various works 
upon these subjects have been published ; and to those works no valid an- 
swer has been given. But although the rapidity of the reformation has been 
unprecedented in the history of the world, such a work might be useful. 
The great majority of the people still remain in darkness and doubt, and un- 
less enlightened, will, " through fear of death," remain "all their lifetime 
subject to bondage.'''' 'They need " precept upon precept ; line upon line; 
here a little and there a little." Although numerous valuable works upon 
different branches of the subject have been published, there is no single 
work, which covers the whole ground. 

There have been witnessed in this city, phenomena more interesting for the 
basis of such a work,in our judgment, than any which have been recorded in 
any publication we have seen. If we could have been allowed to use the evi- 
dence, we should have commenced such a work more than two years ago. 
At that time private and special reasons precluded us from using the testi- 
mony. Those private reasons still stand in our way. Whether they will 
ever be removed is uncertain. 

Some Spiritualists have expressed a fear, that we have attached too much 
importance to this sermon, and wasted too much ink upon it. We think 
not. They think there is no merit in the sermon. Very well; they should 
look at the position of Dr. Dwight. He is a Doctor of Divinity. He 
stands as one of the first of his Denomination in New England. His par- 
ishioners thought so highly of the sermon, that they induced him to repeat 
it. The house was filled to overflowing, and hundreds were unable to ob- 
tain admission. We think the Dr. stands as the representative of three- 
quarters of all the Congregationalists, Baptists, Methodists and Episcopa- 
lians in the State ; and if this is so, then the sermon deserved a complete 
answer. 



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